Allergies do not only occur in adults but can also affect children and infants. As a parent, it is important to know what allergies your child has and what triggers them. The following is an explanation of allergies in children and infants.
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Various causes of allergies in children and babies
Allergies are a series of symptoms that arise as an exaggerated response of the immune system to foreign substances that enter otherwise known as allergens.
Allergic reactions usually occur after the allergen is in direct contact with the skin, inhaled, or eaten.
There are various triggers and characteristics of allergies in children and infants. Symptoms also depend on the trigger.
Here are the kinds of allergies in babies and children that parents need to know:
1. Food allergies
Food is the most common trigger for allergies in children. Food allergies arise when the body reacts to proteins that are considered harmful to the body.
This reaction usually occurs shortly after the food is consumed.
Most cases of food allergies in children are caused by:
- Egg
- Cow's milk
- Peanuts
- Soya bean
- Wheat
- Nuts from trees (such as walnuts, pistachios, pecans, cashews)
- Fish (such as tuna, salmon)
- Seafood (such as shrimp, lobster, squid)
Food allergies to meat, fruits, vegetables, grains, and grains such as sesame, are also possible.
According to a report from the Anaphylaxis Campaign, reports of allergies to sour fruit (such as kiwi) have been common since the 1980s among adults.
Then, in the 1990s kiwifruit allergy began to be found more often in children.
Food allergic reactions can vary, ranging from mild reactions to severe reactions.
Before you suspect that your child has a food allergy, first know the common symptoms of a food allergy.
Quoting from Healthy Children, the symptoms or characteristics of food allergies in children are:
- Rash or red spots on the skin that look like mosquito bites
- Sneeze
- Wheezing sound
- Throat feels tight
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Difficult to breathe
- Itching around the mouth
- Fast heart rate
- Low blood pressure
- Anaphylactic shock
For cases of severe allergic reactions, anaphylactic conditions require immediate medical attention.
But early childhood food allergies can go away. About 80 percent to 90 percent of allergies to eggs, milk, wheat, and soy will not appear again by the time the child is 5 years old.
However, few can completely recover from a nut or seafood allergy. That is, this allergy will be carried into adulthood.
Pediatricians and allergists can perform several tests to diagnose food allergies in children and monitor their progress, whether the allergy has gone or not.
2. Pollen, dust, and mold allergies
The environment is also one of the causes of child allergies. If your little one overreacts (like a cough or runny nose) to the environment, it means your child has allergic rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis is an inflammation of the nasal cavity due to an allergic reaction.
Symptoms usually appear immediately after your child is exposed to an allergen. Some of the symptoms include:
- Itchy and watery eyes, anger, or swelling
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Sneeze
- Fatigue
- Cough
Various allergens can trigger an immune system reaction if inhaled through the nose.
Some common allergens are pollen, dust mites, mold spores, and animal dander. Cigarette smoke and perfume are also triggers for this allergy.
3. Drug allergy
A drug allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a drug user.
This reaction occurs because the immune system considers certain substances in the drug as substances that can harm the body.
This condition is different from the side effects of drugs that are usually listed on the packaging, as well as drug poisoning due to overdose.
Most drug allergies have mild symptoms and usually subside within a few days of stopping drug use.
The following are some of the common symptoms of drug allergies. that is:
- Rashes or bumps on the skin
- Itchy rash
- Shortness of breath or shortness of breath
- Swelling of the eyelids
Symptoms of drug allergy generally appear gradually as the immune system builds antibodies to fight the drug.
These symptoms may not appear immediately when your child first uses the drug.
In the first stage of use, the immune system will assess the drug as a harmful substance for the body and then develop antibodies slowly.
On subsequent use, these antibodies will detect and attack the substance of the drug. This process can trigger the symptoms of drug allergy.
4. Milk allergy
Cow's milk allergy occurs due to the reaction of the immune system in children with the proteins contained in cow's milk.
The types of proteins that most often cause allergies are whey and casein. Babies who have allergies can be allergic to one or both of these proteins.
Based on the recommendations of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the symptoms of cow's milk allergy are divided into two, namely children who are receiving exclusive breastfeeding and children who are consuming formula milk.
For children who drink exclusive breastfeeding, allergies are not caused by breast milk but the food the mother consumes so that it affects the milk content in breast milk.
So, keep in mind that breast milk does not trigger allergic reactions.
The following are symptoms of a milk allergy in children:
- Repeated rise of stomach acid into the throat
- Vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, and blood in the stool
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Colds, coughs, chronic
- Persistent colic (More than 3 hours per day per week for 3 weeks)
- Failure to thrive due to diarrhea and the child does not want to eat.
- Iron deficiency anemia due to blood in the stool
If you experience severe symptoms, immediately consult a pediatrician. If you are in doubt if your child has symptoms of a cow's milk allergy, consult a doctor.
5. Skin allergies
Quoting from Live Well, at least 10 percent of children in the world have eczema which is a skin allergy. Skin allergies in children are grouped according to symptoms and types, namely:
Eczema (dry, red, cracked skin)
Rash after holding something
Swelling and itching
If your child has this, the doctor will usually prescribe a steroid cream. But to get the right cream, be sure to consult a doctor first.
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