Discrepancy between Guidelines and Clinical Practice in the Management of Cow’s Milk Allergy in Children: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey of Polish Physicians

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the compliance between current guidelines on the diagnosis and management of children with cow’s milk allergy (CMA) and clinical practice by a survey of Polish physicians. An online cross-sectional survey involving a convenience series of participants was performed from January 15 to March 20, 2020. Data provided by 605 physicians (74.2% of them pediatricians working in general practice) were analyzed. Contrary to the current recommendations, only a minority of respondents (27.4%) reported performing oral food challenge (OFC) to confirm the diagnosis of CMA. Among those who reported performing OFC (<i>n</i> = 160 respondents), the majority performed an open challenge (82.5%). Most respondents (79.2%) correctly recommended as the first-line treatment extensively hydrolyzed cow’s milk formula for a child with mild-to-moderate CMA. Less than half of participants (43.8%) recommended amino acid-based formula for a child with severe CMA (anaphylaxis). Only half of respondents (50.8%) reassessed tolerance to cow’s milk proteins. For assessing tolerance acquisition, more respondents recommended challenge to baked milk compared with fresh cow’s milk (60.5% vs. 39.5%, respectively). This survey study found that only a minority of responding physicians follow current guidelines for diagnosis and management of children with CMA in Poland.