The baby’s immune system is completely weak when it is born. All the nutrients the baby receives with mother's milk. The same applies to antibodies that help the baby cope with all kinds of infections and colds. The only thing that a product filled with healthy flora cannot handle is allergy.
What is an allergy?
The definition of allergy implies various reactions of the immune system in the form of skin rashes, swelling of the mucous membrane, itching, shortness of breath, rhinitis and anaphylactic shock.
I must say that more than 50% of the world's population suffer from various types of allergic reactions. This can be either a banal food intolerance, or a reaction acquired over time to plant pollen, any detergents or animal hair.
Causes of occurrence
When a foreign body enters the body, the entire immune system is activated to combat the “disturbing order”. Finished antibodies try to block the allergen, covering it with a membrane. Thus, IgE, IgG4 antibodies appear in the body. When allergens and these antibodies interact, histamine and other mediators are released that contribute to the appearance of an immediate allergic reaction. In total, there are four types of antibodies, respectively, capable of causing four types of allergies.
The list of allergens is quite wide, and each has its own causative agent of an adverse reaction. It can be:
- citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, tangerines);
- dust mites;
- pet hair;
- egg yolk or protein;
- flower and plant pollen;
- potato starch;
- nuts
- red pigment in vegetables and fruits (lycopene and anthocyanin).
Some also have intolerance to animal proteins - cottage cheese, meat, milk.
In addition, the appearance of allergies is associated not only with the consumption of products, but also with environmental factors: air, water pollution, increased radioactive background, etc.
It is proved that allergies are inherited. Thus, rashes and peeling that occur on the baby’s body are associated with the production of IgE antibodies, which give an immediate reaction to the antigen that has entered the body. This reaction is called “atopy” and is hereditary, but it can manifest itself at different ages.
What could be allergic to?
In order to determine the list of allergens that threaten the health of a child or an adult, doctors suggest testing for allergies. Thus, all antigens that can cause unwanted reactions can be excluded within a week.
The modern method of skin allergy testing allows you to do no more than fifteen tests in one session. To conduct this study, small scratches are made on the patient's forearm with a sterile scarifier, into which the allergen powder is applied. Already in the first 15 minutes, the reaction of the body will show whether one of the reagents is an antigen for the test person.
Redness, hyperemia, itching - these are the results that the doctor is waiting for. But the minus of such testing is the possible falsity of positive results. In addition, scarification skin tests can cause the patient to worsen. These tests can not be performed in children under three years of age, in the presence of fever and other infections.
Immunoblotting
Another method for testing allergens can help you check what your allergies can be with by taking blood from a vein. Such an analysis gives a detailed picture of the presence of antibodies in the body and their reaction to one or another antigen.
The uniqueness of the method lies in the fact that the obtained biomaterial is laid out in fractions, and then applied to a special paper plate with ready-made antigens. After a while, if they react, then dimming appears on the panel in places with the desired antigen.
This method gives 99% correct results and is the most accurate to date.
What is a pediatric allergen panel?
Blood tests are also required for testing with the pediatric allergen panel. At the moment, such an analysis is the most affordable and safe. It can be performed even for children from 6 months.
The analysis is done within a week. For emergency cases, a quick decryption of the results in just two days is provided. Screening is carried out only in a specialized laboratory by qualified specialists.
The pediatric panel of allergens makes it possible to determine the antigens of more than twelve types of the most common allergies.
How to prepare for the analysis
To conduct an analysis, it is necessary to donate blood in the morning on an empty stomach. If the patient is taking any medications, you should visit a specialist and ask to cancel them one week before the prescribed blood sampling.
Adults who are going to take an analysis should give up bad habits (smoking, drinking alcohol) three days before testing. Children who receive routine vaccination can donate blood only three months after vaccination.
Before the procedure, the attending physician must conduct an oral survey or questioning of the patient, his close relatives and the people with whom he lives. Thus, the initial selection passes, and the doctor can delete some allergens that are not found in the daily life of the patient.
The advantage of the survey is accurate information about hereditary diseases, drugs ever taken by relatives, bad habits and eating habits.
How to understand the results
The pediatric panel of allergens is filled with those substances that can cause a reaction in the patient. What exactly will this be, the doctor finds out during the survey.
The obtained indicators are divided from the lowest to critical:
- 0.36-0.8 - low;
- 0.8-3.6 - average;
- 3.6-17.6 - moderately high;
- 17.6-51 - high;
- 51-100 - very high;
- more than 100 is critical.
It is worth remembering that the sooner the correct diagnosis is made, the sooner the doctors will be able to prescribe adequate therapy. The correctness of the results depends entirely on the patient. After all, if he follows the recommendations of a specialist, the end result will not be long in coming.
First of all, the pediatrician will prescribe a diet that excludes all products that give a reaction of more than 0.9% interaction with the antigen. If severe skin rashes and itching are present, the pediatrician may prescribe a tablet of antihistamines (or syrup if the child is less than 2 years old), as well as ointments that will reduce itching and redness.
It is worth remembering that the allergy is not always the cause of a rash or itching. Improper nutrition, dryness, a lot of fat and fried can lead to failure of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.
If the pediatric panel of allergens does not give results, you should contact your gastroenterologist and undergo a full examination with him. Banal dysbiosis can also have unpleasant consequences in the form of a rash, itching, peeling.