All mothers worry about their babies, because the crumbs are so defenseless and vulnerable to dozens of diseases. And when the baby begins to sneeze and scratch his nose more often than usual, mom begins to worry. And not in vain, because, perhaps, these are symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis in children is quite common. Up to 20% of schoolchildren in Russia suffer this disease.
It is worth understanding what allergic rhinitis is, in order to send the child to the right doctor and know what to do. Although the disease is associated with a disease of the nose, it is caused by allergenic factors, like any other allergy, so it is worth showing your child to an allergist. It will help to find out exactly what allergic rhinitis in a child is, because they happen seasonal and year-round. It is also very important not to start the disease, attributing the symptoms to a common cold. A timely visit to a specialist will prevent complications to all ENT organs.
Types of Allergic Rhinitis
If for several consecutive years at the same time your child is tormented by a stuffy nose, runny nose, frequent sneezing, and sometimes even conjunctivitis, then most likely your offspring has a seasonal variation of this disease. Allergic rhinitis in a child is then caused by seasonal allergens such as
pollen. If the symptoms persist throughout the year, then the baby is faced with year-round rhinitis. In this case, the causative agents of the disease were insects, rodents, house dust, less commonly food. Allergic rhinitis in a child in a year-round form may worsen under the influence of weather conditions and weakened immunity during viral and infectious diseases.
Treatment
Of course, in order to make an accurate diagnosis, a specialist must examine the child, conduct the necessary tests and allergic studies. Usually, the doctor begins therapy by eliminating the allergens and isolating the child from them. So, you have to take care of the destruction of cockroaches and rodents in the house, reducing the amount of dust and tobacco smoke, with which the child is in contact with passively. These measures are called elimination.
Since the nasal mucosa suffers from this disease, the drugs used in the treatment are aimed at normalizing its condition, as well as preventing its thickening. To cure allergic rhinitis in a child, antihistamines are usually prescribed . Please note that today there are the second and third generation of these drugs, and it is worth giving preference to them, because they are more effective and less harmful in terms of side effects.
Kids are prescribed Zirtek, Claritin, and older kids Telfast, Kestin and others. Not only for treatment, but also for the prevention of seasonal exacerbations, cromolyn sodium is often prescribed. If this treatment does not help, then the next step is nasal corticosteroid drugs. To relieve symptoms, they use decongenients, but you need to be especially careful, because if you go too far with this drug, the child may get medical rhinitis. If allergens are precisely identified, then the doctor may prescribe specific immunotherapy aimed at reducing sensitivity to allergic irritants.