Childhood Allergies: Symptoms and Treatments
Childhood allergy is an exaggerated reaction by the immune system in response to certain foreign substances. These foreign objects may not be really harmful thus it is called an exaggerated response. In an attempt to protect the body, the immune system produce antibodies called immunoglobulin that causes the mast cells and allergy cells to release chemicals, including histamine resulting in allergic reactions. In most people, allergies appear during infancy and childhood. Some allergies can be outgrown while some lasts for a lifetime. It is best to consult an allergy specialist so that the source can be easily avoided and the symptoms treated. When avoidance measures fail or impossible, there are also numerous medications that can help in treating your child’s symptoms.
Causes
There are numerous causes of children’s allergies. Here are some of the common allergens that can trigger allergy symptoms:
Pollen - these are fine, reproductive pollen found in plants that travels easily through the air. Several examples are tree pollen such as oak, elm, and birch. Pollens from Bermuda grass and orchard grass can also cause allergies.
Mold spores - These pesky problems are found almost everywhere like in soil, vegetation, attics, basements, carpets and others. Mold spores also travel by air thus it is one of the prevalent causes of allergies.
Dust mites - These tiny creatures can also cause allergies. It is commonly found in bed linens and sofa. Dust mite allergies usually peak in July and August, when the dust mite population is high due to a warmer climate.
Pet dander - These allergens are the dead skin that warm-blooded animals such as dogs and cats shed. Pet dander can be found eve...
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...ne and phenylephrine. It works well for occasional and as-needed use since side effects such as insomnia, headaches, and rapid heart rate can be experienced with long-term use.
Leukotriene Blockers - Montelukast was originally developed for asthma but is then approved for treatment in allergic rhinitis for children as young as six months old. It is found beneficial for children with mild asthma and allergies. It must be taken daily and it takes a few days before effects can be seen. Mild side effects include fatigue, abdominal pains, and headaches.
Allergy Shots - Allergy shots or immunotherapy are particularly helpful in childhood allergies. This is not typically considered for children under five years of age due to maturity and cooperativeness of the child. Several studies show that allergy shots can help in asthma prevention up to three years after immunization.
True food allergies are rare. The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) estimates that only 2% of the adult population of the United States is allergic to foods. Further, only eight foods cause 90% of all food allergic reactions. They are milk, egg, wheat, peanut, soy, tree nuts, fish and shellfish (Food Allergy Network). Many reactions to foods are really intolerance (reaction of the metabolism due to a chemical deficiency) rather than allergy (reaction of the immune system). Many infant allergies, which are later outgrown, are thought to be the result of immature immune systems. However, other allergies become stronger as the person ages and inadvertently becomes more exposed. One report on KCBS radio indicated there may be a link between mothers who ate peanuts during pregnancy and their children’s subsequent allergies.
Being allergic to something may not seem to be a big deal to some people, but to others it can be life-changing. When someone is diagnosed with an allergy, especially when the allergen (the thing that triggers the body to have its allergic reaction) is very common in her environment, she may have to make many lifestyle changes to stay safe and healthy. The first step to treating an allergy is to understand fully what the allergy really is and how to keep one’s self safe. So what is a latex allergy? A latex allergy occurs when the human body decides that latex is a harmful substance and tries to fight it off; causing multiple symptoms, and sometimes being very hard to avoid.
You have allergic symptoms like runny nose, hay fever, or a skin condition called eczema
Allergies are hypersensitive immune responses to substances that either enter or come in contact with the body. In layman's terms allergies are, a food or natural substance. These include pollen, ragweed, peanuts, shellfish and pet dander are recognized by the immune system as a threat.
If your child has had an allergic reaction to a transfusion in the past, your child may be given medicine to help prevent a reaction.
In most situations, genetic heredity plays a role in what allergy a person acquires. Children inherit their allergy from their parents. (Mills et al., 2007) On the contrary, some of individuals develop certain allergies in spite of their parents. One proposed theory that will be explored in this paper is whether or not the use of vaccines causes us to develop certain allergies. Before that theory can be proven as right or wrong, we must first get a more thorough understanding of the immune system.
Everyone has either suffered from some kind of allergy, or knows somebody who has suffered from allergies. Allergies are the source of irritating symptoms, ranging from a painless skin rash to life-threatening breathing problems. For years, researchers have been trying to find out the source of these allergies. Some have suggested that environmental factors or early exposure to certain foods can cause allergies later in life, while others say that allergies are caused by genetics. To test the latter theory, many researchers study identical twins to see if sets of twins share allergies. If both twins were to share a particular allergy, than this may prove that allergies are genetic.
The culprit of chocolate allergy may be rarely the cocoa or chocolate itself and is most likely to be triggered by an allergen or an ingredient of chocolate.
Imagine going to a cafeteria and ordering food. As you take a bite into your meal, you notice a strange tingling in your throat. A rash forms on your skin. Nothing seems to concern you. As you continue eating, breathing becomes increasingly difficult. Your throat has swelled up. You panic and grab your epinephrine autoinjector and inject yourself. If you were too late, your body would've gone into shock and could have even died. Instead, you return to normal and realized the food you ate contained an allergen you were sensitive to. This slight mistake could have ended your life if you did not have your epipen. This reaction is common to people who have allergies. Perhaps only a rash would occur or just a slight swelling of the throat. Allergenic reactions are on the rise. What causes allergies and why have so many people been diagnosed with allergies? The basic answer is insufficient training of the immune system. What is thought to be insufficient training? Prior to this rise in allergies and life in the 21st and 20th century, cleanliness was not the main issue towards allergies. Society did not have the hypercleanliness attitude that it does today. Children played outdoors, became dirty, and antiseptic products were not rampant in households. Life seemed more natural than it does today. Today, society appreciates the advances in technology for the household well being and the individual well being. Hand sanitizers took the place of soaps, antibiotics took the reign in place of a natural immune response. This shift towards technology and advances has put a damper on our immune system and it's capabilities of fighting antigen. The preferred training of the immune system during adolescence has shifted from the T-helper 1 response...
Healthy humans have two types of immune systems that protect the body from invading pathogens that cause diseases. The Innate Immunity is the first barrier of protection. It is similar to a force field. Its primary purpose is to destroy any pathogen that tries to enter the epidermis cells (the skin cells) and the mucosa (mucus secreting cells found in the GI tract, respiratory tract, urogenital tract and eyes. If the first defense does not work, the adaptive immunity steps in to eradicate the invading microbe. Yet, sometimes the body reacts to harmless agents as if they were pathogens. Every day, more adults develop allergies to things in their environment. Exposure to such things as pollen, grass, mold and pet dander1 can lead to mild or harmful reactions. Other allergens can cause tingling in the throat and mouth, and in many cases severe reaction that lead to death. 2 In the last couple of decades, 75 to 100 percent of asthma and 150 percent atopy have reported.4 17.7 million adults and 7.1 million were diagnosed with allergies and hay fever.5 There are no known reasons why people developed hypersensitivity to certain agents, yet, many adults are developing allergies later in life. Statistically, children are the ones who develop allergies the most. About 3.9 percent of children have allergies, whereas 2% of adults have it. 6 Then, why are adults becoming more and more susceptible to this affliction? One possible reason is foods and every day household products are making people sick. Could it be that constant exposure to known hypoallergenic agents are causing allergic reactions to develop in adults who have never displayed any allergic reactions in their lifetime?
Human race is known to have developed numerous allergies to various known and unknown allergens. An extreme allergic reaction which can be “life-threatening”. (Mydr.com.au, 2014) is referred to as Anaphylaxis.It is a “medical emergency”(Lloyd & Sisman,2013).Statistics indicate that maximum deaths occur due to allergic reactions of various medicines. The other causative agents can be insects, food, latex, hair dye, etc(Lloyd & Sisman,2013). The most common trigger to stimulate anaphylaxis among children are food products such as peanuts, dairy, seafood etc. Exposure to any of these allergens can result in severe anaphylactic attack within 20 minutes.(Australian Resuscitation council, 2012).However the doctors discuss the history of symptoms occurring in children suffering with peanut allergy before declaring them to be anaphylactic and prescribing medication. (Unknown, 2014). Symptoms of anaphylaxis may occur in varied forms depending upon the severty of the reaction. For instance in mild cases swelling of lips, eyes or face occurs along with hives, rash, tingling of mouth and vomitting accompanied with abdominal pain. Nevertheless in extreme conditions the former symptoms may be accompanied with noisy breathing, wheezing, hoarseness and unconsciousness. (Lloyd & Sisman,2013).
Anaphylaxis shock occurs when someone who is sensitive to a substance they are exposed to which results in constricted airway and possible inability to breathe. Parents with children that experience any form of allergic reaction most notify the day care provider so appropriate precautionary steps are taken to maintain a safe health environment for these children. As allergy conditions have slowly increased within our society day care providers have taken more aggressive action to protect these children by extending a “peanut free environment” within the school setting. The percentage of children who experience their first allergic reaction outside the home has increased by 77% over past years daycare providers need to be trained and prepared to handle all types of allergic reaction situations. Steps that a provider and parent should take are as follows: 1. Food allergy action plan, 2. Inform all staff, 3. Post child’s name and allergy,
You can now start to slowly reintroduce the old foods to determine which dog food or feed ingredient caused your dog's allergy problems in the first place. By doing so, you will be able to identify the food that your dog is allergic to and buy only dog food that do not contain the ingredient. There are also dog owners who choose to formulate a ration to address their dog's food allergy problem.
When most people think of allergies, they might think of the common allergies like grass, dust, cats, and dogs. However, more and more children are not just allergic to the common allergies but children are allergic to food. Food? Really? Yes, more children are allergic to food. However, the most food that child are allergic to are cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, soy and wheat and gluten.
Some of the common allergens that disrupt the immune system are animal dander, molds, and dust mites. When you first come into contact with these allergens, your immune system treats the allergen as an invader and mobilizes an attack. The immune system does this by generating large amounts of a type of antibody (a disease-fighting protein) specific to the particular allergen you're allergic to. In the case of pollen allergy, the antibody is specific for each type of pollen: one antibody may be produced to react against oak pollen and another against ragweed pollen. This antibody attaches itself to certain cells in your body. The next time you come into contact with the allergen, the allergen attaches to the antibody like a key fitting into a lock, causing the release of powerful inflammatory chemicals, including histamine. These chemicals move into various parts of your body, such as your respiratory system, to cause allergy symptoms including runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing, among others.