Blood in the diaper cause may be the intestinal flora

Blood in the diaper does not have to be based on allergic reaction to cow's milk proteins
Blood in the nappy of babies is most disturbing for the parents. Often an allergic reaction to cow's milk proteins is assumed to be the cause. However, a researcher from the University of Graz thinks that an imbalance of the microbes of the intestinal flora is responsible for the blood elimination. He has initiated a systematic study of 130 infants.

Instead of cow's milk protein allergy, imbalance in the intestinal flora could be reason for blood in the diaper of babies
Blood in the stool in infants can have different causes. Thus, in addition to an allergy to cow's milk proteins also hemorrhoids, gastrointestinal infections or protrusions of the mucous membrane as a trigger in question. If the bloody stool is accompanied by inflammation of the end and large intestine, it is a so-called distal proctocolitis.

Image: Oksana Kuzmina - fotolia

However, in the case of distal proctocolitis, Martin Hoffmann of the Med-Uni Graz doubts the previous explanatory model according to which an allergic reaction to cow's milk proteins is the trigger of the disease. "There are good reasons to assume that a change in the intestinal flora is the true cause of infant proctocolitis," the pediatrician is quoted in a press release. The first studies already showed good evidence to substantiate this thesis. For example, preliminary studies of infants with proctocolitis revealed that the bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca occurs much more frequently in children's intestines than in healthy babies. While it is known that the bacterium can cause colonic inflammation as part of antibiotic therapy, this disease pattern does not match that of infant proctocolitis. Therefore Hoffmann suspects that the actual cause is not the bacterium itself. "Probably the more frequent occurrence of Klebsiella oxytoca is a consequence of an overall altered intestinal flora, a so-called dysbiosis. If the intestinal flora is out of its normal balance, harmful bacteria such as Klebsiella oxytoca can take over, "explains Hoffmann. The current therapy concept - the conversion of infant feeding to cows milk-free food - would then normalize the intestinal flora, but not, as previously thought, cause the termination of the allergic reaction.

Study to investigate imbalance in the intestinal flora of infants
The Hoffmann-initiated study with 130 infants presents major challenges. "In fact, the intestinal flora of children in their first year of life changes in a completely natural way. Against this background, it is difficult to detect additional changes due to a disease, "explains the pediatrician. "We therefore individually analyze for each child how its intestinal flora changes within eight weeks - and expect us to recognize different patterns in the two groups studied. That would be a clear indication that dysbiosis is actually responsible for infant proctocolitis. "Confirming this hypothesis would mean a fundamental change in the understanding of the disease. (Ag)