Coping with Allergic Disorders in Children | ExpatWoman.com
 

Coping with Allergic Disorders in Children

Find out everything about allergies and how you can cope with children with allergies.

Posted on

19 September 2013

Last updated on 31 December 2017
Coping with Allergic Disorders in Children

What is an allergy?

Allergy is simply defined as an altered body reaction to a foreign substance (allergen) after prior exposure to that substance.

How common are allergies and what causes allergies?

Allergic disorders are among the most common problems world-wide and there are about 300 millions patients suffering from asthma.
 
There has been a dramatic increase of respiratory allergies and asthma throughout the Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the last few years. Studies show that the prevalence of diagnosed asthma and allergic rhinitis amongst school children in the UAE is 13.65% and 22.9% respectively. In UAE, there are prevailing environmental conditions that encourage a preponderance of certain allergens, such as:
  • Humidity and temperature support the reproduction of house dust mites (HDM) in the home and it is estimated that around 80-90 % of allergic patients have allergy to HDM
  • Humidity provides a perfect environment for molds to grow in air conditioning systems of cars and buildings
  • Increased vegetations (trees/ plants/ flowers/ grasses, etc)

What are the main types of allergies?

  • Allergic Rhinitis (itchy, runny nose, sneezing and watering eyes)
  • Asthma (troublesome cough, wheezing and breathlessness)
  • Eczema (itchy, sore and weeping skin) are the commonest. They are followed Food Allergy (vomiting, chronic diarrhoea, colic and poor weight gain)
  • Drug Allergy (itchy skin rash)
  • Allergy to Insect Bites (itchy swollen skin)

These forms of allergy cause troublesome symptoms and in general allergic reactions are not life-threatening. Occasionally, allergy, especially those caused by drugs, nuts or insect bites, can lead to severe anaphylactic reaction with shock and thus requires immediate medical help

How do allergies affect children?

On daily basis, allergies cause time lost from school and leisure activities and adversely affect the child’s school performance, quality of life and over all educational future. Identifying and diagnosing allergic symptoms at an early stage is essential.

How do we diagnose allergies?

Diagnostic evaluation of the allergic patients is necessary to confirm the diagnosis of allergy, differentiate allergic disease from other disorders and to help develop appropriate treatment plans.
 
A detailed history, including that of the family and history of exposure to different antigens, is the most important step in identifying children at risk of allergy and its provoking factors. Exposure to allergens, and sensitization, can occur even before the baby is borne through transfer of antigens, via the placenta, from mother to her unborn baby. In a sensitised child, allergic reaction usually occurs within minutes to hours of re-exposure to the same allergen.

The most widely used procedure is Skin Prick Test which involves introducing minute amounts of suspected allergens into the skin by pinpricks. A new technique has rendered this procedure less painful, and so easily tolerated by children, using sharp plastic bars to prick the skin instead of lancets. A variety of blood tests are also available which can identify the offending inhaled or ingested substances but they are generally less useful.
 
In practice, combing history with selective skin and blood tests will help the treating doctor identifying the offending allergens and help to direct the effort on the right path.
 
Utilizing modern diagnostic tests and effective therapeutic methods, allergic diseases can be controlled and symptoms can be prevented or minimized. In selected cases, allergy can be ‘cured’ by exposing the patient to increasing doses of the offending substance (allergen), a process called Immunotherapy, which usually takes 3- 5 years to complete. In children, this is given as drops under the tongue, called Sublingual Immunotherapy and it is available in the UAE.  

Management Strategies for treating allergies

Learning what triggers allergies and understanding how to treat them are the first steps toward controlling allergy and preventing their troublesome and potentially dangerous manifestations. Modern management of allergic disorders in children is based on providing specialist services delivered by a team of doctors and trained nurses within an allergy clinic. The main components of this specialist services are:
  • Identifying and avoiding or minimizing exposure to allergens and irritants through environmental control (avoidance).
  • Appropriate medication to control/ ameliorate symptoms and to control the underlying inflammation associated with the allergic reaction.
  • Allergen Immunotherapy or Desensitisation, a specific form of treatment achieved by exposing the child to minute doses of the offending substance, placed under the tongue, in increasing doses. The course of treatment may take 3-5 years and, if successful, should result in total “cure” of allergy.
  • Child and family education is an essential part of managing a child with allergy.
 
Dr. Fadil Y Al-Najjar,
Consultant Paediatrician
(with Special interest in Childhood Allergy)
The City Hospital, Dubai Healthcare City

 
 

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