Preventive effect of prenatal education and partially hydrolyzed whey formula on infantile allergy: a prospective study

Abstract

Objective To explore the preventive effect of prenatal education and partially hydrolyzed whey formula (pHF-W) on infantile allergy. Methods We conducted a prospective study of 1 773 term and healthy infants born in five hospitals in Guangdong Province from November 2011 to November 2013. According to different feeding methods within four months after birth, they were divided into pHF-W group (653 cases), cow's milk formula (CMF) group (246 cases) and exclusive breast-feeding group (874 cases). We publicise maternal education during pregnancy, and inform the importance of balanced nutrition, and dietary structure. All infants and their mothers were followed up for 12 months. The incidences of food allergies, physical growth parameters were analyzed. Umbilical cord blood total IgE and serum total IgE at three and six months after birth were tested. Analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chi-square test or the Bonferroni tests were used for statistical analysis. Results Among the 1 773 infants, there were 893 males (50.4%), and 542 (30.6%) were born by cesarean section. The average birth age was (39.0±0.7) gestational weeks. Demographic characteristics among the three groups had no statistically significant difference (all P>0.05). The overall incidence of allergy in the 1 773 cases was 29.7% (526/1 773), and the onset of allergy was three to eight months after birth, with an average of (6.2±1.5) months. The incidences of skin symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms and respiratory symptoms were 28.2% (500/1 773), 1.1% (20/1 773) and 0.3% (6/1 773), respectively. Foods of infant allergy were eggs (35.0%, 7/20), milk (30.0%, 6/20), fish and shrimp (15.0%, 3/20), peanut (10.0%, 2/20) and legumes (10.0%, 2/20). Incidences of allergic manifestation and atopic dermatitis in pHF-W group[28.6%(187/653) and 27.3%(178/653)]and breast-feeding group[28.4% (248/874) and 27.0%(236/874)] was lower than that in CMF group [(37.0%(91/246) and 35.0%(35/246), χ2=7.356 and 6.456, all P 0.05). Conclusion Prenatal education and partially hydrolyzed whey formula reduces the incidence of allergic disease in infants. Key words: Hypersensitivity; Lactalbumin; Infant formula; Pregnant women; Early medical intervention; Health Education; Prospective studies