ABSTRACT

Twenty-sevenconsecutiveinfants(meanage,20.6months)withchronic"idiopathic"constipationwerestudiedtoinvestigatethepossiblerelationbetweenconstipationandcowmilkproteinallergy(CMPA).Theinfantswereinitiallyobservedonanunrestricteddiet,andthenumberofstoolsperdaywasrecorded.Subsequentlytheinfantswereputonadietfreeofcowmilkprotein(CMP)fortwoperiodsofImontheach,separatedbytwochallengeswithCMP.DuringtheCMP-freediet,therewasaresolutionofsymptomsin21patients;duringthetwoconsecutivechallenges,constipationreappearedwithin48to72hours.InanothersixpatientstheCMP-freedietdidnotleadtoimprovementofconstipation.OnlyfourofthepatientswhoimprovedontheCMP-freediethadcon