Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome - not only due to cow's milk and soy

Over a of 7-year period, six patients (four males, two females aged 3-12 months) were diagnosed with food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) triggered by foods other than cow's milk and soy: chicken in four, turkey in two, peas in one, and lentils in one (five patients reacted to more than one food type). All reactions developed within 2 h of ingestion of the allergenic food. To exclude other conditions with similar clinical symptoms, three infants underwent work-up for sepsis, one infant underwent work-up to exclude metabolic defects, and one underwent a barium enema to rule out intussusception. All were negative. Pediatricians should be aware that FPIES may be caused by foods other than cow's milk and soy, mainly chicken, turkey and foods from the legume family, and that it may present also in infants older than 6 months.