Many people suffer from allergy symptoms today. The majority of these patients, unfortunately, are children. After all, the world around a small person is full of a wide variety of substances that come into contact with his mucous membranes and skin, enter the body with food, and also during breathing.
With a predisposition to acute reactions, individual interactions sometimes cause inflammatory processes that have various manifestations. Such an ailment can manifest itself both from the very birth of a newborn, and in the process of growing up of the body. That is why it will be useful for those parents who value the he alth of their child to find out what are the causes of allergies in children and how to deal with this disease.
Determination of pathology
The allergic reaction of the child's body is caused by its increased sensitivity to the effects of the mostvarious exogenous and endogenous factors. At the same time, the child's immunity can give its negative response to a variety of substances.
To detect the presence of the disease is not at all difficult. Allergies in children are determined by a skin reaction. This severe acute pathology is characterized by very dangerous symptoms. Its signs can appear both on the face and on the whole body, in those places where the skin comes in contact with substances that irritate the immune system. It is important for parents to identify the causes of allergies in children in time in order to immediately begin treatment.
What causes illness?
Allergy is nothing more than an acute reaction of the immune system to those substances (allergens) that are harmless to the average person. With information about what can cause these unpleasant symptoms in a child, parents can significantly reduce the risk of an illness in a baby. It must be remembered that the causes of allergies in children may be hidden in a hereditary factor. If the parents or one of them suffered from this disease, then the likelihood of a pathology in the baby is much higher. So, in cases where only one mother suffers from allergies, the risk of illness in a child increases to 80%, if the father - then up to 30-40%. In the presence of pathology in grandparents, the manifestation of the disease at an early age is possible with a probability of 20%.
However, in addition to this, there are some other causes of allergies in children, which are considered one of the most common. This list includes:
- genetic features;
- malfunctions of the immune system;
- medication;
- untimely and incorrectly started complementary foods;
- eating a lot of vegetables and fruits that can cause an allergic reaction.
There are other causes of allergies in children. However, they are not as common as the above.
Types of pathology
Allergies in children happen:
- Food. The occurrence of this type of disease is provoked by some products, which contain a large number of antigens. So, often the cause of allergies in children under one year old is the body's response to cow protein, as well as to a certain composition of the adapted milk formula. Very rarely, but such a disease occurs as a reaction to mother's milk. The causes of food allergies in older children are the use of eggs, sugar, citrus fruits, buckwheat, as well as tea with lemon and some other products. A similar type of allergy manifests itself with urticaria, eczema and neurodermatitis. Sometimes the body's reaction is gastrointestinal problems.
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Medicinal. What causes this allergy in children? The causes of the body's reaction in this case are the intake of certain types of medications. Moreover, pathology can develop with prolonged use of the same drug. Often, a drug allergy occurs after a child takes a course of antibiotics, developing against a background of dysbacteriosis. Symptoms of such a reaction are nausea or even anaphylactic shock, changes in blood composition and urticaria.
- Contact skin. This is atopic dermatitis, which is the body's response to certain types of chemicals found in shampoos, soaps and other cosmetics, as well as to certain dyes used in the manufacture of children's clothing. The causes of skin allergies in children can also be hidden in the household chemicals that a mother uses at home or a cleaner in a kindergarten or school.
- Respiratory. This type of allergic reaction is the most common, but at the same time less studied. Often, an unhe althy reaction of the body occurs due to dogs and cats, and sometimes due to rodents (fur seals and hamsters), as well as birds. Such an allergy can have a variety of symptoms, manifested by tearing and various edema, laryngitis, tracheitis, sinusitis, or cough. Sometimes the cause of this type of pathology is plant pollen. However, the manifestation of allergies is more permanent and is expressed in respiratory problems.
- Cross. Sometimes a child develops an illness that is caused by the simultaneous exposure of several antigens at once. As a rule, a similar phenomenon occurs at the end of the flowering season of one plant and at the beginning of the flowering season of another. In addition, some types of pollen can create a negative duet with food.
It is worth noting the fact that the universal antigen,which would be equally dangerous for all children does not exist in nature. After all, even being in the same room, children react differently to substances in the air. So, some of them may have an allergic reaction, while others do not. Here everything will depend on the maturity of the immune system and on the innate characteristics of the baby.
Causes of pathology in children under one year old
Because of what is the most common reaction of the body in infants?
- The cause of allergies in a newborn baby, as well as in a month-old baby, as a rule, is the reaction of his body to food. In addition, a contact skin type of the disease is possible on washing powder, care products or a diaper. If these are the causes of allergies in children, the treatment will consist in changing the care product that provoked the corresponding reaction, as well as changing the diet with artificial feeding.
- Allergies in babies who have reached 4 months of age, as a rule, develop due to untimely or improper complementary foods. Most often at this time, the reaction occurs on cow's milk. In this regard, those infants who are bottle-fed are recommended mixtures that do not contain milk protein. Such children are transferred to special cereals, thereby avoiding unpleasant he alth consequences.
- At six months, a baby may suffer from food allergies due to the introduction of mashed meats into his diet. Such products should appear on the baby's menu very carefully, andyou need to start with the smallest portions. In this case, in any case, it is necessary to give preference to dietary white meat.
- With the development of an allergic reaction in a child at seven months, a mandatory consultation with a specialist is important. You may need to change the set of products or pass the necessary tests. At this age, small patients may be prescribed antihistamines. However, such a decision should only be made by an allergist.
- At the age of 8 months, as a rule, pathology in children gradually disappears. Parents just need to be patient. At this time, formula feeding or breastfeeding is minimized, and the baby receives more and more adult food. During this period, you should not particularly risk introducing foods to the child, most of which cause allergic reactions.
- At 9 months, the symptoms of the body's reaction to certain types of allergens practically do not appear. But at the same time, parents should give their child proven products and be careful with yogurt, curds and other industrial products. Often they add a variety of flavor enhancers, fillers and other not entirely useful substances.
- At 10 months, allergies in children almost completely recede. But, despite this, parents should carefully select food and baby clothes for their baby.
Causes of pathology in children after a year
The complexity of the problem for already grown up babies lies in the fact that in addition to food reactions, their body can react to factors such as:
- plant pollen;
- dust;
- animal wool, etc.
The causes of skin allergies in children 2 years old are most often new foods. This period in a child's life is especially important. That is why parents should carefully consider the possible reactions of the body, which at this age can especially negatively affect the further condition of the little man.
But already at the age of five, allergies in children most often manifest themselves in the off-season. Especially for the development of this pathology, the winter-spring period is characteristic. The cause of the disease in this case, as a rule, is vitamin deficiency, active growth of the body, as well as other, both internal and external, factors.
Children at the age of six most often suffer from allergies due to contact with animals and birds. In this case, doctors often prescribe antihistamines to small patients. But in any case, the baby will need to be protected from a possible source of allergens and form a special diet.
At the age of 7, children usually do not suffer from allergies. However, cases of manifestation of this disease are still possible. Most often, they are the result of a sharp decrease in immunity under the influence of stress, medication and frequent diseases.
Psychosomatic cause
Because of what else can an allergy occur in a child? Psychological reasons can also cause the body's reaction in the form of urticaria and Quincke's edema. Often, pathology manifests itself in suchdiseases such as eczema, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and others.
If an allergy in a child is caused by psychosomatics, the causes of the pathology may be in the unwillingness of the baby to take anything in his life. That is, in this way the body protests against any injustice that the child cannot express openly.
Sometimes babies who have not yet learned to speak have to restrain strong feelings. They are also associated with the habit of behaving in a family in a certain way.
Psychosomatics of children's allergies can also be observed in situations where the mother leaves the baby for the whole day, for example, leaving for work, as well as with frequent quarrels of parents. An allergic reaction is also provoked by improper upbringing, which does not give the baby a sufficient amount of inner freedom when he is under the constant yoke of prohibitions that suppress him as a person.
Common symptoms
Often an allergy on the legs of a child is manifested. The causes of skin lesions that are found on the thighs, lower legs and feet can be different.
The main ones are:
- food allergens;
- fungal infections that are transmitted to children from adults through shoes, bedding and general hygiene items;
- down or pet hair, as well as clothes made of woolen natural yarn, blankets and pillows;
- substances found in the environment, such as household dust, plant pollen, synthetic fabrics of bed linen and clothes,components of cosmetics, as well as toxic components of the material of toys;
- Insect bites transmitting the natural poison of wasps, bees, mosquitoes, characterized by strong allergenic properties and toxic effects;
- hypothermia caused by a cold allergy, which is provoked by a sharp temperature drop or improperly selected clothes for a baby during long walks.
Sun allergy
Alone, ultraviolet light does not usually cause an acute reaction of the body. Causes of sun allergy in children are a combination of a number of additional factors, including:
- taking antibiotics and other medications;
- using creams containing essential oils such as cumin, citrus, etc.;
- get pollen from plants on the skin;
- use of cosmetic products containing dyes (for example, hygienic lipstick with eosin);
- existing internal diseases;
- use of antiseptics in the form of wet wipes;
- presence of detergent residues on the skin;
- being in the sun for a long time.
Symptoms of this type of allergy, called photodermatosis, appear in a baby after a couple of hours in the form of the following:
- itching and tingling;
- small scaly and itchy skin rashes;
- edema;
- blistering that occurs on sensitive and fair skin.
Whenexisting photodermatosis, it is necessary to minimize the child's exposure to the sun. Until the complete disappearance of redness and rash, the baby should not sunbathe in any case. In order to eliminate itching, parents are advised to use special products in the form of creams and serums. It is advisable to wear clothing that covers the skin as much as possible on the baby.
Identification of provoking factors
How to identify the cause of an allergy in a child? At home, you can do this as efficiently as possible. So, if the baby is not breastfed, then the mother will have to review his diet, trying to replace one mixture with another. During complementary foods, you will also need to pay attention to the reaction of the child to certain foods.
The food diary kept by the mother will help identify the cause of allergies in older children. You will need to pay attention to the condition of the water in the water supply network, and to the quality of the surrounding air. In addition, it is necessary to start washing with safe powders, replace cosmetics, and also do wet cleaning more often, eliminate the presence of carpets, old upholstered furniture and pets. If at the same time the allergy is not observed, then the reason lay precisely in these factors.
You need to pay attention to the period of manifestation of the disease. If a child suffers from it in spring or summer, then the reason most likely lies in flowering plants.
Medical diagnostics
When contacting a specialist, the baby will receive a referral for the necessary tests. They will allowisolate the allergen that is the cause of the pathology. The final diagnosis of the child can only be made after a comprehensive examination of the whole organism. It is carried out by an allergist, who takes into account the developmental features of the child, his complaints, as well as the conditions for the course of the disease. Only after that the specialist makes an appointment for diagnostics.
It could be skin testing. They are carried out with the introduction of an allergen under the skin with the help of injections or scratches. This method is painless and allows you to give a presumptive result. During one procedure, it is possible to conduct up to 15 samples. When redness and swelling appear, the result is considered positive. Also, a specialist can send the baby for analysis of specific antibodies. This study is able to establish a likely group of allergens.
In case of incomprehensible results after the first two methods, provocative tests are prescribed. They are performed with the introduction of allergens under the tongue, into the nose and into the bronchi. The result is revealed during the assessment of the reaction of the body.
To confirm the detected allergen, elimination tests are carried out.
