Today, many people suffer from allergy symptoms. However, most of these patients, unfortunately, are children. After all, the world around a small person is full of a 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. A similar ailment can manifest itself both from the very birth of a newborn, and in the process of growing up the body. That is why it will be useful for those parents who value the health of their child to find out what are the causes of allergies in children and how to deal with this disease.
Pathology definition
The allergic reaction of the child's body is caused by its increased sensitivity to the effects of a wide variety of exogenous and endogenous factors. In this case, the child’s immunity can give a negative answer to a variety of substances.
It is not at all difficult to detect the presence of the disease. Allergies in children are determined by 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 into contact with substances that cause irritation of the immune system. It is important for parents to determine the causes of allergies in children on time in order to immediately begin treatment.
What can cause the disease?
An 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 ailment in the baby. It should be remembered that the causes of allergies in children can be hidden in a hereditary factor. If the parents or one of them suffered from this disease, then the likelihood of a baby developing a pathology 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 - up to 30-40%. In the presence of pathology in grandparents, the manifestation of an ailment 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;
- taking medications;
- untimely and incorrectly started feeding;
- eating large amounts 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 are:
- 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 up to a year is the body’s response to cow protein, as well as to a specific composition of the adapted milk mixture. Very rarely, but a similar disease occurs as a reaction to breast 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 is manifested by urticaria, eczema and neurodermatitis. Sometimes the reaction of the body is gastrointestinal problems.
Medicinal What triggers this allergy in children? The causes of the reaction of the body 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 has taken a course of taking antibiotics, developing against a background of dysbiosis. Symptoms of such a reaction are nausea or even anaphylactic shock, a change in blood composition and urticaria.
Contact skin. This is atopic dermatitis, which is the body’s response to certain types of chemicals that make up shampoos, soaps and other cosmetics, as well as 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 mom uses at home or as a cleaner in kindergarten or school.
- Respiratory This type of allergic reaction is the most common, but at the same time less studied. Often, an unhealthy reaction of the body occurs due to dogs and cats, and sometimes because of rodents (fur seals and hamsters), as well as birds. Such an allergy can have a variety of symptoms, manifested by tearing and various swelling, 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 has an ailment that is caused by the simultaneous exposure of several antigens at once. Typically, this 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 duo with food.
It is worth noting the fact that a universal antigen that would be equally dangerous for all children does not exist in nature. Indeed, even being in the same room, children react differently to substances in its 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 features of the baby.
Causes of pathology in children up to a year
What is the most common reaction in babies?
- The cause of allergies in a newborn baby, as well as in a baby of a month old, as a rule, is the reaction of his body to food. In addition, a contact skin type of the disease is possible on detergent, care products or a diaper. If these are the causes of allergies in children, the treatment will consist in changing the care products that provoked the corresponding reaction, as well as in 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 feeding. Most often, at this time, the reaction occurs on cow's milk. In this regard, those babies who are breast-fed are recommended mixtures that do not contain milk protein. Such children are transferred to special cereals, thereby avoiding unpleasant health consequences.
- At six months, a child may suffer from food allergies due to the introduction of mashed meat in his diet. Such products should appear very carefully in the baby’s menu, and it is necessary to start with the smallest servings. 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 of age, it is important to consult with a specialist. You may need a change in the selection of products or the delivery of necessary analyzes. At this age, antihistamines may be prescribed to small patients. However, such a decision should be made only by an allergist.
- At the age of 8 months, as a rule, the pathology in children gradually disappears. Parents should only be patient. At this time, feeding with a mixture or breast is minimized, and the baby receives more and more adult food. During this period, one should not particularly risk introducing products 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 the child proven products and be careful with yoghurts, curds and other manufactured goods. Often, they add a variety of flavor enhancers, fillers and other not quite useful substances.
- At 10 months, allergies in children recede almost completely. But, despite this, parents should carefully select food and baby items for their baby.
Causes of pathology in children after a year
The complexity of the problem for already grown babies lies in the fact that in addition to food reactions, their body can respond to factors such as:
- plant pollen;
- dust;
- animal hair, etc.
The causes of skin allergies in children 2 years old are most often new foods. The indicated period in the life of the child is especially important. That is why parents should be attentive to possible reactions of the body, which at this age can especially negatively affect the further state of the little man.
But already at the age of five, an allergy in children most often manifests itself in the off-season. Especially for the development of this pathology, a 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 factors, both internal and external.
Children at six years old 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 years, children usually do not suffer from allergies. However, cases of the 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
What else could cause an allergy in a child? Psychological reasons can also cause an organism reaction in the form of urticaria and Quincke's edema. Often, pathology is also manifested by diseases such as eczema, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and others.
If an allergy is caused in a child by psychosomatics, the causes of the pathology may be in the reluctance 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 you have to restrain strong emotions for kids who have not yet learned to speak. They are also associated with the habit of behaving in a family in a certain way.
The psychosomatics of childhood allergies can also be observed in situations where the mother leaves the baby for the whole day, for example, having gone to 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 internal freedom when he is under the constant yoke of prohibitions that suppress him as a person.
Common symptoms
Often, an allergy appears on the legs of a child. The causes of skin lesions that are found on the hips, lower leg and in the foot area 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;
- fluff or wool of pets, as well as clothing from natural wool yarn, blankets and pillows;
- substances in the environment, such as household dust, pollen, synthetic fabric for bedding and clothing, components of cosmetics, as well as toxic components of the material of toys;
- insect bites that transmit the natural poison of wasps, bees, mosquitoes, characterized by strong allergenic properties and toxic effects;
- hypothermia, which caused a cold allergy, which provokes a sharp temperature drop or improperly selected clothes for the baby during long walks.
Sun allergy
Alone ultraviolet radiation does not usually cause an acute reaction of the body. The causes of allergies to the sun in children are a combination of a number of additional factors, including:
- taking antibiotics and other medications;
- the use of creams that contain essential oils, for example, caraway seeds, citrus fruits, etc .;
- contact of plant pollen on the skin;
- the use of cosmetics containing dyes (for example, hygienic lipstick with eosin);
- existing internal diseases;
- the use of antiseptics in the form of wet wipes;
- the presence on the skin of residues of detergents;
- sun exposure for a long time.
Symptoms of this type of allergy, called photodermatosis, appear in the baby after a couple of hours in the form of the following:
- itching and tingling;
- small flaky and itchy rashes on the skin;
- swelling;
- blisters occurring on sensitive and fair skin.
With existing photodermatosis, it is necessary to minimize the exposure of the child to the sun. Until the redness and rash disappear completely, the baby should not be sunbathing in any case. In order to eliminate skin itching, parents are advised to use special products in the form of creams and serums. It is advisable to wear clothes that cover the skin as much as possible.
Determination of provoking factors
How to identify the cause of an allergy in a child? At home, this can be done as efficiently as possible. So, if the baby is not breastfed, then the mother will have to reconsider his nutrition, trying to replace one mixture with another. During complementary feeding, you will also need to pay attention to the child’s reaction to certain foods.
Identify the cause of allergies in older children will help the mother's food diary. You will need to pay attention to the state of 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, replacing cosmetics, and also to do wet cleaning more often, to exclude the presence of carpets, old upholstered furniture and pets. If there is no allergy, then the reason lies precisely in these factors.
You need to pay attention to the period of the 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 allow you to highlight the allergen that is the cause of the pathology.
The final diagnosis of the child can be made only after a comprehensive examination of the whole organism. It is carried out by an allergist, which takes into account the peculiarities of the development of the child, his complaints, as well as the conditions of the disease. Only after this, a specialist makes an appointment for diagnosis.
It can be skin tests. 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 an expected result. During one procedure, up to 15 samples are possible. With the appearance of redness and swelling, 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.
With incomprehensible results after the first two methods, provocative tests are prescribed. They are performed with the introduction of allergens under the tongue, nose and bronchi. The result is revealed during the assessment of the reaction of the body.
To confirm the detected allergen, elimination tests are performed.