Bloody Stool in Infants: A Pediatric Allergy View

Abstract

Objective: The prevalence of food allergy (FA) has gradually increased. Bloody stool is among the symptoms associated with non-immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated FA in infants. In our study, we shared the clinical characteristics of the patients who applied to our clinic with bloody stool. Material and Methods: The data of the patients with bloody stool were reviewed. Patients’ characteristics and the time of onset of tolerance in patients with FA were recorded, retrospectively. Results: The 110 patient files were reviewed. 68% of the patients were diagnosed with FA (63 proctocolitis/12 enterocolitis), 22% with an anal fissure, and 9% with nonspecific colitis. The most common causative food was cow milk (57%), the second was the combination of egg and milk (24.2%), and the third was egg (18.2%). The presence of atopic dermatitis (AD) and eosinophil count at the time of admission did not affect tolerance development time but it was shown that skin prick test (SPT) positivity and the high level of total IgE at the time of admission delayed the development of tolerance [(p=0.02), (r=0.510, p=0.009)]. Conclusion: Bloody stool is one of the common complaints in infants. It does not always indicate a FA. The clinic is mild when the underlying disease is non-IgE mediated FA. However, accompanying IgE-type sensitivities negatively affect the prognosis. Elevated total IgE and SPT positivity at the time of diagnosis may give an impression that tolerance of baked products could be delayed in this type of allergy.