Children & Allergies

Allergies are common - affecting as much as 30 percent of the population in North America. If you are lucky enough not to have allergies yourself, it is unlikely that you do not know someone affected by this growing phenomenon.

Despite its prevalence, allergies are awful. There are many things that can trigger allergic reactions, and many different ways allergies can show themselves. That said, many symptoms are wrongly attributed to allergies. It is important to understand the difference. People with lactose intolerance, for example, often feel they have an allergy to milk. (Lactose is a sugar found in milk.) The inability to digest milk sugars, however, is in no way connected to the much more severe allergy to milk proteins.


What are allergies, any way?
Medical professionals defined as an allergy to an immune-mediated, hypersensitivity reaction. Its when your immune system mediated by a physical reaction to a substance which causes no symptoms in most people. (Not immune reactions, such as food intolerances, allergies are not.)

With food allergies, there is always the possibility of serious or life-threatening reactions, which is not the case with other forms of food intolerance.

Although life-threatening reactions may not be as common allergies to the environment, which can trigger asthma attacks or severe debilitating nasal and eye symptoms in allergic people. Some non-allergic triggers such as viral infections and smoke snuff, can also induce severe respiratory symptoms in patients with asthma or other chronic lung diseases.


Tendency to develop allergies
The tendency to develop allergies run strongly in families, although allergies themselves are not inherited. For example, we commonly see children with peanut allergy whose parents have asthma or allergic rhinitis. These conditions are obviously very different triggered by allergens.
If one parent is allergic a person, his son has about a 30 percent chance of developing allergies. If both parents are allergic, that risk may approach 80 percent.

Difficult to predict and preventWhile they are very good at diagnosing and managing allergies, we are not very good at predicting allergies and are terrible in the prevention of allergies.
In the past, we hoped to reduce the allergic sensitization through diet and various manipulations of the environment during pregnancy and early childhood. For the most part, however, these attempts have failed to impact long-term results, and is no longer widely recommended.
Currently, the only universal we make recommendations to the families most at risk is to avoid the smoke of snuff in the environment, and to nurse the babies four to six months. All other attempts at intervention have proven ineffective.


Various allergic disorders
There are a number of different allergic disorders, all of which fall within the same general category referred to as atopy. These include asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic eczema and food allergies, along with other, less common phenomena atopic.

Anaphylaxis - a dangerous allergic reaction
A bass, treble, the whole body and often life-threatening reaction to an allergen is known as anaphylaxis. It is most commonly seen with food allergies, drug allergies or allergies to insect bites.
Fortunately, fatal anaphylaxis is not too common, with 10 deaths per year in Canada's food and insect allergies.


Allergies in progress
Allergies have increased over the past 50 years. While there are a number of possible contributing factors, the exact cause of this epidemic remains unclear.

Some current estimates:
* Up to 10 to 15 percent of children are affected with asthma.
* As many of five to 10 per cent are affected with atopic eczema.
* Up to two to four percent of children are affected with food allergies.
* Up to 20 to 30 percent of the general population is allergic rhinitis or hay fever.

The 'allergic March "refers to the well-recognized progression of allergic eczema and / or food allergies in children, for allergic asthma in young children and allergic rhinitis in many school-age children affected.


Common allergens
Although almost any foreign protein has the potential to induce an allergic reaction in a susceptible person, there is a relatively small number of common allergens responsible for the vast majority of allergic reactions.

Food allergens
Among patients with food allergies, nine of foods are responsible for approximately 90 percent of allergic reactions: eggs, milk, wheat and soybeans are most common in children, and peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and sesame seeds are the most problematic for older children and adults.

Currently estimated that one to two per cent of the population is allergic to peanuts and a similar number of adults allergic to shellfish.

People with food allergies must strictly avoid the food you are allergic to. Fortunately, most children outgrow allergies to eggs, milk, wheat and soybeans. While only 20 percent of peanut-allergic children seem to develop tolerance over time, it still offers some hope for affected families.

It seems that 85 to 90 percent of children with food allergies will be allergic to one meal only. Being allergic to food more than three is relatively rare.

Environmental allergens
There are huge regional differences in Canada in the rates of awareness when it comes to environmental allergens:

* While allergies to house dust mites are very common in hot, humid environments, such as southern Ontario and British Columbia, the levels of dust mites are very low in arid grasslands. Allergies to dust mites are, therefore, quite rare in the prairies.
* Ambrosía allergen is a hugely problematic in central and eastern Canada, but not a concern to the west of Ontario.
* Outdoor mold spores are important allergens through the meadows, but much less on the coasts.

Sensitization to cat allergen is strongly associated with asthma across Canada, while the dog allergens seem to be less of a problem overall. Patients with allergies to horses commonly report very severe symptoms of exposure, rather than to other allergens, for reasons unclear.


The symptoms of allergy
Symptoms of an allergic reaction vary considerably from person to person and depends on many factors.

The symptoms of food allergy
Food allergies are often easy to identify. Constantly develop symptoms within minutes to one hour after exposure:

* Urticaria.
* Bloating.
* Choking.
* Vomiting.
* Shortness of breath.

As many as 35 per cent of children with moderate to severe allergic eczema may have a trigger in the diet. Some of these may be more difficult to identify in this age group. In older children, the trigger is usually clear, and easily confirmed by an allergist.

Environment allergy symptoms
Environment commonly trigger allergies nasal or eye symptoms:

* Sneezing fits.
* Runny nose profuse.
* Itchy, watery or red eyes.

In patients with asthma, exposure to known allergens can trigger:

* Coughing fits.
* Wheezing.
* Shortness of breath.

Unfortunately, environmental allergies may also be more subtle, with the induction of chronic exposure to low-level inflammation of the airways that is not so obvious. This can manifest itself as:

* A long-term trend colds.
* Recurrent ear or sinus infections.
* 'Twitchy' airways.
* Coughing or wheezing easily with viral infections or after vigorous activities. Children with asthma often cough without wheezing, and any child who coughs frequently during the night, with physical activity, or after laughing and crying should be assessed taking into account this factor. Coughing to the point of gagging or vomiting is a classic sign of childhood asthma.


Confirming Allergies
Confirming the diagnosis of an allergy is relatively easy. You or your child may be referred by your family doctor or pediatrician for a certified allergist, who is trained in the diagnosis and management of allergic conditions.

After taking a detailed personal, family and environmental history, your allergist may decide to conduct the skin and / or blood tests to confirm or refute the suspicions of allergic triggers.

The test is fairly accurate when conducted and interpreted properly. Unfortunately, the evidence can be misleading in some cases. Testing for food allergies in the absence of a clinical history of support, for example, is associated with a high rate of false positives and may lead to inadequate dietary restrictions.

Ultimately, the "gold standard" for any diagnosis of allergy is a problem controlled, although this may not be feasible or safe, depending on the allergen involved and the severity of symptoms to exposure.


The treatment of allergies
Once an allergy is confirmed, the first step in management is always evasion. While this is absolutely essential with food allergies, you may not always be possible or practical to environmental allergens.

There are many effective strategies to reduce exposure to house dust mites and their allergens, and it is possible to reduce exposure to the interior FURRER allergens animals - mostly generated by the relocation of the pet.

It is very difficult to reduce exposure to allergens outdoor season, and there will still be other sources of exposure to allergens in the environment at work or school, and in the homes of friends and family.

Once the environment is optimized to the extent possible, attention to the prevention of allergen-induced changes inflammation and other symptoms - acute and chronic.

Today we have a wide range of safe, effective treatment options for children and adults with allergies. Most patients can be treated safely and successfully, so if you or someone in your family is still bothered by allergies, please consult your doctor.