Spring Allergy Symptoms in Children and What to Do About It.

Do you have allergies? Believe it or not most Americans are allergic to something. Whether it is a bout of hay fever in the spring, sneezing and running nose when cutting the grass in the summer, persistent colds and bronchitis in the winter and fall, or a sudden rash or difficulty breathing because you ate something your body did not like. You are experiencing an allergy attack, which can mean a trip to the emergency room for an allergy treatment.

Spring has sprung and so has the pollen. Seasonal allergies affect millions of children each year. Find out the symptoms and what you can do to relieve them.

The substances that cause allergies are called allergens. Allergens can be anything from pollen to molds and fungi to dust. These allergens are carried through the air until they land on your child. Pollen is the reproductive spores of plants. Allergy symptoms can occur from the pollen of weeds, grasses, trees, and mold.

Once you determine that you need more than a quick over-the-counter allergy medication to get relief from your symptoms, you make an appointment with a physician who specializes in treating allergies. You meeting the physician and undergo what seems to be a never ending list of questions about everything from the contents of your home, to the types of clothing you wear, to what you eat, to the types of animals you come into contact with. This is the first step to determining what type of allergy treatment would benefit you.

Sensitivity to these allergies is what brings on the histamine response. This is the body’s reaction to the allergens being present in the child’s system. Allergens enter the body through the mouth, the eyes, and the nasal passages. Your child may experience: sneezing, itchy, watery eyes, nasal congestion, chest congestion, coughing, and/or sore throat. A child suffering from allergies may display one or more of these symptoms at a time.

Allergies are often confused with colds and therefore misdiagnosed.

A battery of tests is given and you are finally diagnosed with allergies. Now what? You have several options on what allergy treatments are available. Many types of allergies in the hay fever category are controlled using over-the-counter or prescription antihistamines. These products can reduce or eliminate many of the symptoms related to the allergy especially if the allergy is a short-term seasonal one. The physician may also prescribe an inhaler and nasal spray as another type of allergy treatment. The inhaler and nasal spray would be used to help you get through some of the more difficult days when your allergies are at their worst.

Cold symptoms usually include fatigue, fever, and body aches. If any of these symptoms are also present, then your child is probably not suffering from seasonal allergies.

Pediatricians can run tests to find out the exact type of allergen your child is allergic to. Blood work can be done to ferret out the offending allergen. More commonly a skin-prick test is performed.

The spin-prick test is not painful to the child. It involves lightly scratching the skin with different types of allergens. This test is usually done on the back.

Allergy treatment for individuals with severe allergies may include allergen immunotherapy. The patient is given injections of a special formula of medication which contains the allergens that directly affect them. The allergy shots desensitize the patient’s response when they come into contact with the item they are allergic.

If the skin becomes red and swollen in certain areas, the doctor can determine what allergen is attacking your child.

Once the allergen is identified, the doctor will come up with a course of treatment. Prescribing medication such as Singulair, Allegra, and Advair, will block the reactions in the body that cause allergy symptoms.

Using injections as an allergy treatment may take several weeks if not months to help the patient build up a sufficient resistance to the offending item. Injections begin with a very small dose of the medication and the amount given during each allergy treatment injection slowly increases over time. The gradual introduction and increase of the medication is given because each allergy treatment has the potential of an adverse reaction. You must remember that the allergy treatment is introducing directly into your body, the very thing you are allergic to.

It will take a week or two for the medications to fully circulate throughout the body.

There are practical things that you can do at home to safeguard against allergies. Keep windows closed. A good breeze will fill your home with pollen from the outside. Use the air conditioning in the spring and summer if it gets warm inside.

Take a bath at night during allergy season. The water will wash off any pollen spores and other allergens accumulated during the day.

One effective allergy treatment is to stop coming into contact with the item you are allergic. If you are allergic to dust or dust mites, you can remove all carpeting from your home, put special covers over your mattress and pillows and have your home vacuumed and dusted weekly. This would greatly reduce the amount of offending item and reduce your symptoms... [read more]

Also make sure to use allergen proof covers on mattresses and pillows.

Allergies are a nuisance, but they don’t have to ruin your life. Follow a few guidelines to keep your home safe from offending allergens. Take your child to the doctor to properly diagnose his/her allergy condition and receive treatment options.