KIDS AND ALLERGIES

Spring time is here!! Yay !!

As wonderful as this season is, depending on who you ask, people have this love, not so in-love relationship with this season. I love spring.

However, if your child suffers from seasonal allergies it can be a miserable time with distressing symptoms like congestion , runny nose, sneezing, puffy eyes, itchy red eyes, itchy throat, ears and  roof of mouth, dark circles under eyes (allergic shiners!).

So the big questions are what is this condition and what can be done to manage  it in your child?

The symptoms above are due to your child’s body defense system ( i.e the immune system) , mistakenly identifying harmless substances (allergens) the body is exposed to as harmful.

Seasonal allergies are caused by pollen during the various seasons of the year. Pollen tends to be more abundant in the air around midday during the various seasons.

According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology ( AAAAI), there are generally 3 pollen seasons:

1. In Spring when trees pollinate. The big culprits causing allergies this season are Birch, Cedar and Cottonwood.
2. In Summer grasses like Timothy, Johnson etc pollinate.
3. In Fall weeds like Ragweed pollinate. Ragweed tends to grow in every environment.

To manage this condition in your child there are multiple approaches:

• Prevention by avoiding exposure to known offending allergens. During high pollen counts, stay indoors as much as possible, close windows and use air conditioner at home and in the car, change clothes and wash body and hair on coming into the house.
• Pollen counts can be monitored using a reliable source such as the National Allergy Bureau (NAB) https://pollen.aaaai.org/#/.
• Allergy testing is an option to help pinpoint the trigger for your child’s allergies. Depending on your child’s age, this can be done at your Pediatrician’s office (if the office is set up for this) or the Allergist.
• Medications taken by mouth ( antihistamines), taken as nasal sprays (normal saline, steroid sprays) and eye drops used in different combinations play a crucial role. Consult with your Pediatrician before commencing any medications. 

 As a general rule of thumb, most of these medications work best if taken  before the pollen are released into the air. If done this way, your child’s symptoms may be prevented or may be much less severe.

• Finally, if all else fails, then the allergist is involved and with the allergist there are additional options for medications for treatment such as immunotherapy. Immunotherapy includes: 
• Allergy shots ( SubCutaneous ImmunoTherapy SCIT)
• Allergy Tablets ( SubLingual ImmunoTherapy SLIT): recently approved by FDA. Only 3 approved at this time for specific allergy triggers. Use is limited by age.

Spring has sprung finally!

Do have fun with friends and family!!