Today I wanted to take a look at some of the most common allergies in children, as well as allergy related conditions;  their symptoms and the culprits that are most likely to trigger them.

As I have said before, allergies are on the increase.  NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) say that there is a 500% rise in hospital admissions of children due to food allergies in the past 20 years (NICE).

Let’s take a look at some of the more common allergens for children. They are:

1. Foods
2. Pollens
3. Dust
4. Dust mites
5. Animal dander (skin, saliva and urine on hair or fur)
6. Feathers
7. Cosmetics
8. Moulds/molds
9. Chemicals used for cleaning, air fresheners and chemicals on clothes and furniture
10. Medicines (especially penicillin)
11. Vaccines
12. Venom from insect stings

 

Genetic Predisposition

Allergies do seem to run in families. However, the tendency for allergies is not always passed on by the parents. It can skip  generations and manifest itself in nieces or nephews rather than direct descendants. Children can often present a totally different allergy or allergies to their relatives. In other words just because the mother, father, grandparents or other relative had asthma doesn’t mean it will show up in asthma with the child. It might present as eczema.

Let’s now take a look at some of the most common allergies in children. This is just a brief outline and I will go into each allergy in more detail in future posts.

Asthma

Triggers: Trauma, cigarette smoke, mother smoking during pregnancy, viral infections, pollen, dust mites, furry animals, cold air, changing weather conditions, exercise, and even stress.

Symptoms: Coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, coughing with exercise or exertion, tightness in the chest.

Hay Fever                                                                                                                                                   

Triggers:  Trauma, pollen from trees, grasses, or weeds.

Symptoms:  Stuffy or runny nose, sneezing; breathing through the mouth because of stuffy nose; rubbing or wrinkling the nose and facial grimacing to relieve nasal itch; watery, itchy eyes; redness or swelling in and under the eyes.

Food Allergies

Triggers:  Trauma, any foods but the most common are milk, wheat, corn, eggs, peanuts, sugar, soy, fish.

Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, hives, eczema, difficult breathing and possibly anaphylaxis.

Eczema (atopic dermatitis)

Triggers:   Food allergies, sweat, emotional state, contact with allergens like pollen, dust, furry animals, detergent and fabric conditioner.

Symptoms: A patchy, dry, red, itchy rash that often occurs in the creases of the arms, legs, and neck; however, in babies, it often starts on the cheeks, behind the ears and on the thighs.

Hives (Urticaria)

Triggers:  Trauma, viral infections, food allergies, and drugs (such as aspirin or penicillin), latex, nettles.

Symptoms:  Raised, itchy, red rash on the skin. Can be found on different parts of the body, The rash usually disappears after a few days but can last longer. Can be one of the first signs of anaphylaxis.

Contact Dermatitis

Triggers:   Trauma, contact with plants, household detergents and cleansers, chemicals in some cosmetics and perfumes.

Symptoms:  Itchy, red, raised patches that may blister if severe. Most of these patches are confined to the areas of direct contact with the allergen. However sometimes they will appear on a different part of the body where the skin is sensitive. For example around the eyes or mouth.

(You might notice that I have included trauma as a trigger for all allergies. This topic will be discussed in another post but it can be a block that needs to be cleared in order for the treatment of allergies to be effective).

Some allergies are easy to identify because symptoms occur shortly after exposure or ingestion but others can take up to 72 hours to cause any symptoms. In the medical professional these are labelled ‘Intolerance’s‘  rather than ‘Allergies’. Remember how I like to keep things simple? So I refer to anything that causes unwanted symptoms as an allergy. I look at it like this – if the energy of the food or substance is not congruent with the energy of the child, then the child’s energy system needs to be balanced in relation to the food or substance.

This is my area of expertise! I am available for private consultations. If this is difficult for you I am developing a system to teach you how to treat yourself and your family for allergies. I hope to have it ready by January 2012.

In the meantime I will continue to write on topics that I think you will find interesting and useful. I would also recommend Sandi Radomski’s site, Ask and Recieve.

Please leave a comment or a question.

With love,

Cathy x