RECTAL BLEEDING IN NEWBORNS AND INFANTS: WHEN DOING LITTLE DOES HELP

Key words: Rectal bleeding, Proctocolitis, Cow’s milk allergy

Rectal bleeding in newborns and infants is an alarming symptom that raises parental anxiety and usually leads to rapid medical attention. In children who are apparently well, rectal bleeding can be explained by an allergic proctocolitis triggered by cow’s milk proteins transferred to the baby via breast milk or assumed via artificial formulas. We studied retrospectively all infants with rectal bleeding that referred to our hospital and recall them after 2-11 years to assess whether colonscopy is always necessary to make diagnosis, whether children develop a major gastrointestinal disease some years after and whether the exclusion of the allergen from the diet is an effective treatment.