If your child sneezes and coughs frequently, especially during seasonal transitions, or if he/she often has itchy rashes and raised rashes, or if he/she experiences abdominal pain, cramps, nausea and even vomiting after eating certain foods, your child may be allergic. Allergy can occur in any child, but such reactions are more common in children whose families have allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, etc.). Among the reasons is that the allergy is inherited in families. A family history of allergies is the most important factor determining a person's susceptibility to allergic disease. If a parent has an allergic disease, there is a 50% chance that their child will also have it. If both parents have allergies, the risk of developing them in the child increases to 70%.
What is allergy?
In summary, allergies are very important for our health and affect us. infection, cancer etc. It is the result of our immune system, which protects against diseases such as, misinterpreting a normally harmless substance (such as a food or pollen) and recognizing it as a harmful substance.
Allergy Symptoms in Children
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Skin rashes (atopic dermatitis, eczema)
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Coughing, shortness of breath, frequent breathing after exposure to allergens such as dust, cigarette smoke, pollen or during exertion (asthma)
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Vomiting after feeding, abdominal pain, rashes, constant restlessness in the baby (food allergy)
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Sneezing, nose runny or itchy eyes (allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, etc.)
Allergic Rhinitis (Hay Fever, Allergic Nasal Flu)
Allergic rhinitis is the most common childhood disease caused by allergies. Symptoms include runny and itchy nose, postnasal drip (nasal drip), sneezing and nasal congestion. Especially in a child with seasonal (spring) allergic rhinitis, redness, discharge and itching in the eyes (allergic pink eye) are also often seen together.
Recurrent ear infections due to persistent nasal congestion and fluid accumulation that can reduce hearing. It can cause chronic ear problems or recurrent sinus infections. Allergic rhinitis, chronic nasal itch in children is the most important reason for confusion. A child with a blocked nose lies with his or her mouth open at night, which can sometimes lead to snoring. This problem also causes the child to sleep restlessly throughout the night, resulting in fatigue, irritability and distraction in the child the next day; Therefore, it may cause deterioration in school success in the long term. When left untreated, nasal congestion and mouth breathing can negatively affect the development of teeth and bones of the face.
Food Allergy
What a breastfeeding mother eats can cause allergic reactions in a sensitive baby. When these foods are removed from the mother's diet, allergic disorders in the baby significantly regress or disappear.
Most food allergies begin in infancy and early childhood. During this period, milk and egg allergy is most common and tends to disappear in childhood, after about one and a half to two years of age. Apart from these, foods such as fish, shellfish (crab, lobster, crayfish and shrimp), soy, tree nuts (e.g. walnuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts), fruits (especially red ones) and wheat most often cause allergic effects. They open it. Those that cause the most severe reactions (such as intense allergic rash, anaphylactic, angioedema shock) are generally peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. Food allergens also vary depending on where you live
The family of a child with a food allergy should be aware of the possibility of anaphylaxis (a life-threatening reaction that causes edema in the windpipe, obstructing breathing, leading to a sudden drop in blood pressure and shock). .
Asthma
In this case, children are usually allergic to things they inhale. As a general rule, the more often and longer the child is exposed to the allergen, the earlier the onset. For example, a child carrying allergy genes may begin to show respiratory symptoms at an early age when repeatedly exposed to plant allergens such as pollen, animal dander, and dust mites for a long time. These include frequent and recurring cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, frequent breathing, exercise (running, playing sports, etc.). Complaints such as cough and shortness of breath develop during treatment. When these complaints are detected, a doctor should be consulted. The treatment given varies depending on the severity of asthma; While sometimes only oral allergy medications may be sufficient to keep asthma under control, sometimes it may be necessary to apply continuous inhaler therapy (administered through the respiratory tract) and corticosteroid therapy for a while in addition to these treatments. Timely initiation of treatment is very important in preventing asthma from becoming permanent due to the permanent change seen in the bronchial walls, which we call remodeling.
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