Many infants are exclusively fed unmodified goat's milk as a result of cultural beliefs as well as exposure to false online information. Anecdotal reports have described a host of morbidities associated with that practice, including severe electrolyte abnormalities, metabolic acidosis, megaloblastic anemia, allergic reactions including life-threatening anaphylactic shock, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and infections. We describe here an infant who was fed raw goat's milk and sustained intracranial infarctions in the setting of severe azotemia and hypernatremia, and we provide a comprehensive review of the consequences associated with this dangerous practice.
Subjects:
Chapters Views & News
Copyright © 2010 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
2010
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Comments
Fresh Goat's Milk for Infants: Myths and Realities�A Review
This review gives the reader, the complete scientific/medical information about the consequences of feeding unmodified raw goat's milk to infants. The earlier beliefs from the cultural and customary practices, just remains as beliefs and does not have any proved scientific merit. So, it's high time, to propagate the actual and correct information to the parents about the serious causes of fed of raw goat's milk to their infants. The information, education and communication (IEC) activities should be carried out in full swing that the ignorance is to be cleared. The wide range of morbidities due to intake of raw goat's milk from severe electrolyte imbalance to life-threatening anaphylactic shock, describes this as a dangerous practice which needs an immediate arrest to prevent further morbidity and mortality. This review also explains not only the biochemical properties of its raw composition but also the biological risk of infectious agents which might also cause infections when given to infants if unmodified and raw. This review explains in detail each and every signs and symptoms of an infant which suffered its highest degree of severity. It will be good to clear the baseless beliefs either from cultural or customary practices to save our next generation.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared