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Allergy Symptoms in Children

According to Singulair.com, "Allergies are believed to affect up to 40 percent of children in the United States." Understanding allergy symptoms in children will help you determine if your child is being affected. Learning some of the prevention tips to help eliminate or at least cut down the amount of allergic reactions will make your child happier and healthier. It's important to learn what medicine is safe to give to your child, what is being used to help alleviate symptoms and why.

  1. Prevention/Solution

    • There are a number of things to do to allergy-proof your home. Wash linens in hot water every week or two. Don't allow pets in the child's bedroom. Keep children away from basements that may have mold due to dampness. Discard items that collect dust such as unused stuffed animals and rugs. Place mattresses in a plastic mattress cover. Don't sweep or vacuum while the child with allergies is in the room.

    Types

    • One form of allergy in children is called allergic rhinitis; it is more commonly know as hay fever. Symptoms of this type of allergy in children are runny nose, watery eyes, dark circles under eyes, sneezing, and itchy eyes and nose.

    Effects

    • An important allergy symptom in infant and children is the appearance of a red, inflamed rash called atopic dermatitis. It is normally located on the ankles, legs, arms and neck. Usually this occurs before the age of 7. The rash goes away over time; however, this particular symptom is important. This is the earliest indication that the child has allergies.

    Function

    • Conjunctivitis is a flag for allergy symptoms in children. This eye infection is the result of rubbing the eyes with hands and fingers to relieve itching. Signs that your child has allergic conjunctivitis will appear as redness, stinging, tearing or pus coming from the eyes. In addition, the whites of the eyes may be inflamed.

    Expert Insight

    • Medicines that are commonly used for allergies are decongestants, antihistamines and steroids. One downfall of using antihistamines is that they cause drowsiness. This does not allow for alertness while learning. However, cutting-edge medicine has developed nondrowsy antihistamines such as Claritin, Allegra and Clarinex. You can buy Claritin over the counter. They may have generic names such as Loratadine and Alavert.

    Alternative

    • Another medicine that relives allergy symptoms in children is called Singulair. It was once only used for asthma. However, recently it has been used to treat allergies. Unfortunately it must be used daily to be effective. One thing to consider when using this medicine is that it is linked to suppression of growth in children. As with any medicine or treatment for children, seek the advice of the child's pediatrician.

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