Saturday 26 October 2013

Help with cows milk allergy

I was invited to London for launch of a new company and to see how they are trying to make a difference.Sadly London is to far away to go for two hours but I asked for the press release and links because it is the sort of thing that is hopefully useful to my readers.

I think it is great that there are more companies encompassing the whole allergy issue as I could have done with more help not only getting my head round the diagnosis but also with getting the  diagnosis itself years ago.

So MomenTums  have started a new site, it is still in its infancy but will be interesting to watch it grow.
This is a resource to support YOU – parents and carers of babies, toddlers and school-aged children who have special nutritional needs such as cow’s milk allergy.

The Press release tells us ;

Parents of Babies with Cow’s Milk Allergy Face Long and Emotional Journey – Average Wait for
Diagnosis Is Six and A Half Weeks Abbott Launches MomenTums.co.uk, a New Online Resource to SupportParents of Babies with Special Nutritional Needs, Including Cow’s Milk
Allergy

LONDON, 23rd October 2013. Abbott today unveils new research (1) revealing that parents of babies suffering with suspected cow’s milk allergy (CMA) currently face an average wait of six and a half weeks before their child’s condition is diagnosed. The emotional impact is widespread with nearly 75% of parents stating that the situation had caused them to feel ‘extremely stressed or worried’. Almost one parent in five (18%) said that they felt they had failed as a parent. Worryingly, the survey also highlights that, for the majority of parents, the challenges presented by their child’s condition do not end in diagnosis.

CMA usually develops in the first year of life and is one of the most common food allergies among children affecting up to 3.5%2 – potentially 28,434 children a year in the UK (3,4,5). By 12 months of age, approximately 50% of babies will have grown out of the condition but, in some cases, cow’s milk allergy may continue longer into childhood, typically resolving between the age of three to five years (6)
Rachelle Anderson had to wait 14 weeks until her son Nate was correctly diagnosed with CMA. She explains how stressful the situation was for her:

“At first I was exclusively breastfeeding but from an early age I felt there was something not quite right. Nate’s my second child and his feeding was very different to my first. At 10 days old, he just stopped feeding; he would turn away, arch his back and he looked like he was in a lot of pain. It was a very stressful
time for my husband and I.”

Netali Levi, a clinical psychologist who works with children with CMA and their families, sees this psychological impact first hand: “The process of having a child diagnosed with any allergy can be frustrating and worrying, as parents try to help their child cope with symptoms at the same time as trying to understand what is causing them. Parents feel anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated or even guilty. It’s important for parents to remember that these are completely normal feelings to have and that help is at hand.”

The message from parents of babies with CMA is that more solutions are needed including better access to information, guidance and support to tackle the emotional impact of the diagnosis, as well as alternative products.

MomenTums.co.uk, powered by Abbott Nutrition, is a comprehensive resource for parents of children with special nutritional needs, including CMA. A series of practical guides for parents are also available to download from the site. These include: Allergy Versus Intolerance infographic; Preparing to Visit Your Child’s Healthcare Professional; Practical Strategies for Parents; Cookbook of Cow’s Milk
Free Recipes for Children.

Carole Glencorse, Medical Director at Abbott Nutrition UK, notes: “While many babies will grow out of their allergy, others won’t, which is why we’ve created MomenTums.co.uk - a comprehensive online resource to support parents of children from birth to 10 years. The website and accompanying resources for
parents have been developed with significant input from mothers of children with cow’s milk allergy, and in consultation with healthcare professionals in the fields of nutrition and psychology. Our research with parents has identified an unmet need in this area. We hope that MomenTums will provide parents with the support they need at this challenging time.”

References
1. Data on file. Abbott Laboratories Ltd., 2013 (Parent survey: cow’s milk allergy).
2. Venter C and Arshad SH. Pediatr Clin N Am 2011;58(2):327-349.
3. Office of National Statistics (ONS), 2012:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/search/index.html?nscl=Births+and+Fertility&nsclorig=
Births+and+Fertility&content-type=Dataset&contenttype=
Reference+table&sortDirection=DESCENDING&sortBy=pubdate Accessed 4th October
2013.
4. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, 2012:
http://www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp8.htm Accessed 4th October 2013.
5. Information Services Division (ISD Scotland), 2012: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-
Topics/Maternity-and-Births/Births/ Accessed 4th October 2013.
6. NHS Choices, 2012: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Diarrhoea/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Accessed 14th August 2013.

Notes to Editors
Parent survey
Abbott Nutrition commissioned an online survey of 100 parents (both mothers and fathers) of children under two years of age with CMA, who had been prescribed a specialist infant formula by a healthcare professional. More specifically, the survey was designed to:

 Gain insights into how UK parents are coping with the management of
their child’s CMA
 Explore the challenges that parents in the UK are facing with their child’s
CMA
 Understand how parents feel their experience with CMA could be / has
been improved with the use of a specialist infant formula
The research was conducted by an independent market research company,
Opinion Matters, between 21/06/2013 and 27/06/2013.
One mother’s story
Rachelle Anderson had to wait 14 weeks until her son Nate was correctly diagnosed with CMA. She explains how stressful the situation was for her: “At first I was exclusively breastfeeding but from an early age I felt there was something not quite right. Nate’s my second child and his feeding was very
different to my first. At 10 days old, he just stopped feeding; he would turn away,
arch his back and he looked like he was in a lot of pain. So I tried standard formula milk but it didn’t seem to make any difference. It would take me an hour or more to get him to take two or three ounces and he’d only sleep for half an hour at a time, which is very unusual for a very young baby. Getting him to sleep at night
would take almost three hours and he would scream until he was finally so exhausted he fell asleep. One night, he was in so much distress that he screamed from 7pm till 3am without stopping. It was a very stressful time for my husband and I; we were suffering from a lack of sleep on top of the anxiety of not knowing what was making Nate so uncomfortable and unhappy.”
About Abbott Nutrition
For more than 85 years, Abbott Nutrition has been developing and marketing science-based nutritional products to support the growth, health and wellness of people of all ages. Internationally recognized brands include the PediaSure® brand of complete and balanced nutrition for children and the Ensure® brand of
complete and balanced nutrition for adults.

About Abbott
Abbott is a global healthcare company devoted to improving life through the development of products and technologies that span the breadth of healthcare. With a portfolio of leading, science-based offerings in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic pharmaceuticals, Abbott serves people
in more than 150 countries and employs approximately 70,000 people.
In the UK, Abbott employs some 1,500 people with operations in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Cheshire, Hampshire and Kent. Abbott has been operating in the UK since 1937.
Visit Abbott at www.abbott.com and connect with us on Twitter at @AbbottNews.

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