Objectives:

This study aims to estimate the prevalence of milk allergy (MA) in a school population from Fez and its territories, and to determine its relationship to life environment.

Patients and methods:

A total of 3,066 middle and high school students (1,533 boys, 1,533 girls; mean age 13.8 years; range 11-20 years) from Fez center and surrounding towns were included in the study. The subjects were performed a questionnaire with questions about personal data including gender, age, their breastfeeding status, consumption of milk and dairy products, and if there is any food causing them to experience hypersensitivity. Blood samples of 134 subjects were analyzed for immunoglobulin E-mediated reactions to raw cow̓s milk.

Results:

The results showed that 28% of schoolchildren reported allergy to food and 6.9% to milk. Concerning animal milk species, sensibility to cow̓s milk was reported more (2.4%), followed by goat milk (1.4%), and camel and sheep milk (less than 1%). Milk allergy was more frequent in urban areas (6.1%) than in rural areas (5.6%). Milk allergy rate was higher in girls (8.7%) than in boys (5.1%).

Conclusion:

Factors such as life style, breastfeeding status, and gender can may influence the distribution of MA in populations.

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