Assessment of Cow’s milk-related symptom scores in early identification of cow’s milk protein allergy in Chinese infants

Abstract Background The diagnosis of cow’s milk protein allergy(CMPA) may be easily misdiagnosed due to its lack of specific symptoms. Thus, experts have proposed the use of Cow’s milk-related symptom scores (CoMiSS) to predict CMPA. There has been no relevant report on the clinical application value of CoMiSS in Chinese children. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of CoMiSS in early identification of CMPA in Chinese infants. Methods We calculated CoMiSS for 38 infants with suspected CMPA diagnosed in the pediatric gastroenterologic clinic in our hospital. After 4 weeks of dietary elimination and symptomatic improvement, these infants returned to our hospital to undergo oral food challenge (OFC). The ROC curve was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of CoMiSS and evaluate the effect of CoMiSS in early identification of CMPA in Chinese infants. We didn’t determine the CoMiSS of presumed healthy infants as control group. Results Of 38 infants who underwent OFC testing, the average CoMiSS of infants with positive OFC testing was 7.4 ± 2.3, while the average CoMiSS of infants with negative OFC testing was 4.1 ± 1.6, and there was a significant difference between two groups(F = 2.13, P