How Do You Know if Your Child Has Allergies?

Child allergy is quite a common medical condition that afflicts a large section of infants. Thus, not surprising is the fact that child allergies rank first in the list of children chronic diseases. Any form of allergies be it food allergy or pollen allergy is a consequence of the overreaction of the body immune system to otherwise harmless substances which are termed as invaders or foreign particles.

Any child can get allergic but children from families that have a history of allergy are likely to get allergic even more. The allergic condition in children manifests themselves in the form of either skin rashes, develop asthma or even suffer from hay fever and allergic rhinitis.

Some of the symptoms of most child allergies are:

• Sneezing and Coughing
• Nasal Congestion
• Itchy throat and runny nose
• Wheezing and sometimes shortness of breath
• Chronic ear problems
• Red and watery eyes

It is the air-borne allergies that are most common with children. The most common air-borne allergens are:

Pollen: Released into air from grasses, weed, trees and other tiny particles is a major cause of airborne child allergy. This kind of allergy is seasonal.

Dust mites: Type of allergen that contains bacteria and thrives in bedding, upholstery and carpets.

Molds: A type of fungus that lives in moist condition, in poor drainage areas and grows mostly in unhygienic condition

Child allergies tests are done by doctors through either by skin prick test or by blood test. In a skin prick test, some amount of allergen is injected under the skin and if the area appears reddish the test is said to be positive. However a child with sensitive skin, the safer options is blood test.

Another form of allergy that is widely prevalent amongst children is Food Allergy. Mother’s milk is the best food for a newborn. But in many cases it has been found that babies develop allergy, in that case with a test done on them, some foods are excluded from the diet of mother to check whether the baby was sensitive to mother’s diet. However, there are infants who are hypo-allergic regardless of their mother’s diet.

In these cases, as infants grow, with the changing nutritional requirement, food should be given in small quantities to monitor the allergic reaction and to confirm on the allergens. For hypo-allergic infants, foods that should be avoided early are wheat, corn products, eggs, citrus fruits and nut butter.