You can often hear from parents that a child suddenly starts sneezing after a walk in the street, he has an itchy nose, a sore throat, and swelling. All these signs indicate that the baby is faced with an allergen, and the body gave a similar reaction. It is one thing when this happens during the flowering season of plants, ragweed, dandelions, but there are situations when such symptoms appear year-round. At the first sign, you must consult a doctor. An immunologist, after a preliminary examination, will ask for an allergen test. In children, it is carried out by several methods, almost painlessly. Which one is more informative, we will try to understand the article.
Why do children have allergic reactions?
According to doctors, about 40% of the world's population is allergic. This disease occurs due to a malfunction in the body. When the antigen enters the bloodstream, it comes into contact with the bodies of immunoglobulin E, and everything would be fine, but a reaction occurs and substances such as serotonin and histamine appear. It is they who provoke the body at the beginning of the inflammatory process.
The science of immunology is exploring them. In Moscow and other cities, immunologists help people cope with a disease such as allergies. They have vast experience, conduct modern tests, analyzes, can identify a product or plant to which the body responds.
As a rule, similar problems arise for people living in large cities, with gas pollution, a huge concentration of enterprises. Often the disease can be found in children. Strong allergens can cause a lot of trouble, starting with regular itching and ending with Quincke's edema.
Why do children suffer from this disease? There may be several reasons:
- Heredity.
- Future mother eating allergenic foods during pregnancy.
- Lack of breastfeeding.
- Early feeding
Doctors are sure that the cause may even be a banal weakening of the immune system.
Recognize an insidious disease
Many ask how the disease manifests itself. After substances (allergens) enter the bloodstream, the inflammatory process begins in the body. The first symptoms may be:
- Mild rhinitis, nasal congestion.
- Redness of the eyelids, eyes.
- Swelling.
- Skin rash.
- Dry cough.
- Sore throat.
Many symptoms can be confused with banal SARS, but if they occur without an increase in body temperature, they are cyclical, appear suddenly and pass unnoticed, you should consult a doctor - it is possible that the child is allergic.
First symptoms detected, what to do next?
If parents suspect that their child is allergic, you should consult a doctor. Many mothers are in no hurry to do this and conduct an elimination test at home. Its essence is to independently identify an allergen. The child is put on a strict diet, products that are supposed to give a similar reaction are excluded. This process is quite lengthy and, as a rule, inconclusive. Such tests can only be carried out if the symptoms do not bother the child and his general condition is normal.
In any case, after visiting the clinic, the doctor will suggest an analysis of the allergen. In children, it is carried out in several ways: blood sampling from a vein, subcutaneous therapy. But before that, it is necessary to draw up a clear history. It will include the following items:
- Detailed baby diet.
- The presence of pets in the house.
- Checking the living conditions.
- Vaccination response.
After all the questions clarified, the immunologist will determine which allergens to analyze.
Will the analysis show the presence of an allergen in the blood?
An allergen test, the price of which is quite high, often takes parents by surprise. Many are not ready to shell out a lot of money to find out which product or plant negatively affects the child.
Before conducting such an analysis, it is necessary to find out if there are allergens in the blood of the child. For this, it is enough to take blood from a vein. The essence of this analysis is to identify the concentration of immunoglobulin E. In all healthy people, this component is present in small quantities. Normally, its value is about 100 units per 1 ml of blood. If the indicators are increased, we can safely say that there is a chain reaction, as a result of which allergic manifestations appear.
How to prepare for analysis
To pass tests for allergens, no special training is required. One thing to consider:
- Do not analyze during exacerbation.
- Before donating blood, you need to be sure that the child does not have helminths.
- Do not take antihistamines for 7 days.
- The child must be absolutely healthy.
A more detailed briefing should be carried out by the attending physician.
Skin tests: do they make sense?
An allergen test in children is performed when the doctor sees the first signs of the disease. It is better to do this immediately, without delaying, so as not to aggravate the situation. After all, everything can end with anaphylactic shock or terrible chronic diseases (asthma, dermatitis and much more).
An allergen test in a child can be of two types: blood test and skin test. The latter is very popular. You can see the result immediately, it is painless, relatively inexpensive. Each type of injected allergen costs about 500 rubles. The essence of this method is that a small incision is made on the skin of the child. The procedure is painless, often the wound resembles an ordinary scratch. The supposed allergen is introduced there, after a short period of time the doctor assesses the condition of the skin. If there is swelling, swelling, redness, this indicates that a reaction of the body has begun.
A skin test for allergens in a child can be performed repeatedly. Doctors often take a few samples. But you need to do this with extreme caution so as not to cause an attack in the baby.
There are contraindications
An analysis of allergens, the price of which can reach up to 50 thousand rubles, is accurate. But informative only for a month. Before taking it, you must undergo a medical examination. Only an immunologist can correctly make a list of substances, products, plants for which samples should be taken. So, the baby who is breastfed, there is no need to introduce an allergen of exotic fruits.
Contraindications to the conduct may be in the case of:
- chemotherapy;
- recent surgery;
- exacerbation of allergic reactions;
- climate change;
- vaccinations;
- the presence of helminths.
In all other cases, it will be enough:
- follow a light diet for 14 days;
- do not take antihistamines during the same time.
It is advisable that the analysis be taken at a time when the child is completely healthy.
Parents note
I would like to note that allergy is a rather insidious disease and it is worth treating it with full responsibility. The consequences can be depressing. Every day in the modern world, people die from anaphylactic shock, not knowing which foods, substances, drugs they are allergic to. So, for many, a bee sting can result in Quincke's edema.
Even if your child has never had an allergic reaction, there should always be an antihistamine in your medicine cabinet. For young children, Fenistil is suitable; older ones can offer Suprastin, Claritin, Loratadin, and much more. These drugs are especially indispensable on vacation, because climate change often provokes allergic manifestations.
It is necessary to treat this disease. If the allergy is seasonal, taking medication during an exacerbation period will be sufficient. But there are times when house dust, fabrics, and other things and objects that are our constant companions of life are the allergen. In this case, doctors offer conservative treatment. An allergen is introduced into the blood in small doses, the body produces protective antibodies to it.
In any case, treatment should be prescribed by a doctor, and he can do this only by making an analysis of the allergen. Children do not have any difficulties with the collection of material. Diagnosis is almost painless, but quite expensive.