How does allergy manifest in children?
Allergy is a perverted hypersensitivityimmune system of a person to this or that external irritant (allergen). Allergy is a purely individual disease. A substance that causes severe allergies in one person can be completely harmless to another. However, doctors have long noticed that some substances most often cause allergy in a large number of people. Among the most common allergens in the first place can be attributed to pollen from plants; bee and aspen poison; home dust containing microscopic ticks; animal hair; medicines and some food products. Especially at risk of allergies are small children. Because of the imperfection of their immune system, the allergy in children develops much more often than in adults.
How is allergy in children manifested?
The allergy may have the following local clinical manifestations:
- an allergic rhinitis, accompanied by itching, nasal congestion, sneezing and abundant discharge of liquid discharge from the nose;
- allergic conjunctivitis, manifested by cuts and burning in the eyes, their redness and strong lacrimation;
- indigestion - nausea, diarrhea, in rare cases vomiting;
- skin manifestations - itching, redness, rashes, swelling, flaking, hives, etc.
The most dangerous systemic manifestation of allergy -anaphylactic shock. It arises suddenly and its manifestations increase dramatically. The main signs of anaphylactic shock as it develops are heart palpitations, dyspnea, blanching of the skin, convulsions. Then comes a loss of consciousness. If the medical assistance is not provided in time, the child may fall into a coma. In especially severe cases, anaphylactic shock ends lethal.
Allergy manifests itself in different ways in different age groups of children.
How is the allergy in a newborn baby manifested?
In newborns on the breastfeeding, most often there is a food allergy to those substances that fall into breast milk from foods consumed by their mothers. In general, food allergies in babies have various skin manifestations such as:
- red bumpy rash on the face (especially on the cheeks), chest and stomach;
- small bubbles on the skin, which after a while after the exposure are opened and in their place are formed red wet skin areas;
- dry scales on the scalp, eyelashes and eyebrows;
- itching and flaky skin.
In addition, there may be disturbances in the digestive system of the child - the baby often belches, his stool becomes fluid and frequent.
How is the allergy to the milk formula manifested?
If the child is completely on an artificialfeeding, or milk mixtures are used as complementary foods, the baby can develop an allergy to one of the components of the nutritional formula. Most often as an allergen in such ready-made artificial mixtures is a protein of cow's milk, used for their preparation. External manifestations of allergy to the milk mixture are similar to the manifestations of allergy to breast milk, which were described above.
How is allergy manifested in older children.
- Most often, children have food allergies. Call it can products such as chocolate, honey, eggs, mushrooms, oranges and tangerines, strawberries, peanuts and fish. Symptoms of food allergies in children - hives, itchy skin, reddening of the skin of the cheeks, rashes on the face, chest, elbows and knee folds. In some cases, the ears, nose and lips of the child may swell. The heavier form of manifestation of food allergies in children is wet eczema, accompanied by severe itching.
- In addition to food allergies in children can developan allergy to cats contained in the house. It manifests itself as stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing and shortness of breath. Sometimes an allergy to cats other than the above symptoms is accompanied by a red rash.
- In some children, after long walks in the frost, the skin on the face turns red and swells. Thus, an allergy to cold appears.
- Another common type of allergy in children- allergy to pollen of flowering plants. In the spring and early summer, children suffering from allergies of this type, watery eyes, and a continuous flow of liquid liquid discharge from the nose. The child often sneezes and complains of pain in the eyes. All these are typical manifestations of pollen allergy.
