Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Rice, often given to babies as a first solid food, can cause more frequent and more severe allergic reactions in infants than soy or cow's milk, Australian scientists found in a study.

Rice, generally considered a low-allergen cereal that settles the stomach, triggered food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome in more infants than either cow or soy milk and resulted in treatment with an intravenous drip more frequently, according to a review over 16 years of 31 infant-allergy cases at Sydney's The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

Previous studies have identified cow or soy milk as the most common causes of the disorder, which is characterized by diarrhea and vomiting. The research, published in the online edition of Archives of Disease in Childhood, may help doctors identify cases of the syndrome earlier, Andrew Kemp and colleagues at the hospital's department of allergy and immunology wrote. Children with FPIES are often mistakenly diagnosed with blood poisoning or a problem requiring emergency surgery, the scientists said.

``Pediatricians should be aware that rice not only has the potential to cause FPIES, but that such reactions may be more severe than those causes by cow's milk or soy,'' Kemp and colleagues wrote. ``Early diagnosis would eliminate repeated reactions and unnecessary investigations.''

Fluid Replacement

Rice triggered FPIES in 14 infants less than 12 months old, compared with 10 who had reactions to cow's milk and 7 affected by soy. More than 40 percent of babies who suffered allergic reactions to rice in The Children's Hospital study needed fluid replacement through an intravenous drip, compared with 17 percent of those who reacted to soy or cow's milk. The infants also suffered multiple reactions before rice was identified as the cause.

The researchers weren't able to explain why their study identified rice as the most common cause of the disorder. They speculated, however, that increased consumption may be a contributing factor. Australians consumed about 11 kilograms (24 pounds) a person in 2004 compared with 5 kilograms in 1994, the scientists said.

Australian dietary guidelines published in 2003 recommended rice as one of the first solids to be introduced into an infant's diet between the ages of 4 and 7 months. All children with rice FPIES in the study had their first reaction at 3-6 months of age.

FPIES doesn't occur in babies fed exclusively on breastmilk, they said. The Geneva-based World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants until six months of age. A 2003 survey of almost 1,800 children in Australia found about 90 percent had started eating solid foods before they were 6 months old and that rice cereal was by far the most common first solid food, with 70 percent of infants starting with the food.

The Australian Allergy Foundation provided funding for one of the researchers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Singapore at sbennett9@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 28, 2008 05:59 EDT