How Do I Know if My Child Has Allergies?

Normally if a child is allergic to something they were exposed to, they will develop an allergic reaction within a few minutes of being exposed to it. The most common allergic reactions will include:

– Runny or congested nose becomes quite itchy, and they sneeze a lot
– Red, itchy, watery eyes
– Chest feeling tight, start to wheeze, cough, and have a shortness of breath
– Red, itchy, raised rash
– Face, eyes, lips, and/or tongue become swollen
– Start to feel ill, vomit, diarrhea, stomach pain
– Red, dry, and cracked skin

The symptoms that occur will vary depending on what your child may be allergic to, and how they came into contact with it in the first place. While rare, a child can have a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock, this severe allergic reaction can be life-threatening.

Signs of anaphylaxis will include any and all of the symptoms above, and include:

– Issues breathing
– Light-headedness
– Confusion
– Swelling of the mouth and/or throat
– Losing consciousness and collapsing
– Blue lips and/or skin

To know for sure if your child has allergies, it is best to schedule an appointment with an allergy center like Allergy & Asthma Center for allergy tests. We will conduct 1 of 3 allergy tests depending on the symptoms and questions you and your child answer to review if they have allergies, and provide appropriate treatment.

There are quite a few common allergens that can trigger an allergic reaction in children, the most common include:

– Grass, weed, and tree pollen
– Natural latex rubber
– Molds
– Dust mites
– Animal urine, dander, and oil from the skin
– Foods
– Medicine
– Feathers
– Bee stings
– Pests including mice and cockroaches

Allergies can affect any child, it does not discriminate against gender, age, race, or socioeconomic status. Allergies are more common to occur in children than adults, but allergies can occur at any age. Even if you had an allergy as a child and it went away, it can come back.

Often allergies are more common in families that already have allergies, the reasoning is not yet fully understood, but it is more common that if a parent has allergies, their children are more susceptible to becoming allergic to something.

Parents who were diagnosed as children may remember allergy testing being quite severe and possibly traumatizing. However, allergy testing has changed quite a bit since then, to the point it is no longer painful to test. While the cause of allergies often is more common to run in families, parents are taking their children in earlier for allergy testing to become more informed.

Your pediatrician may also recommend your child get allergy tested if they are beginning to notice the signs of allergies including:

– Runny nose
– Watery eyes
– Nasal congestion
– Sneezing
– Allergic shiners
– Eyes, skin or nose being itchy with no fever present

There are a few ways you can help your child prepare for an allergy test including:

– Stop using antihistamines before the appointment
Many allergy clinics will require parents to stop certain medications for their children around 3 to 5 days before the allergy test. This is due to the medications possibly interfering with the allergy test.

– Bring a distraction for your child
We highly recommend bringing an item with you that will distract your child during the allergy test like a book, a comforting toy, or an electronic device like a phone or tablet for them to play on. While the allergy test is not painful, it may become itchy and the child may become uncomfortable with the reactions.

– Talk to your child about allergy testing
Going to visit the doctor’s office, and tests may scare your child, reassure them that the test will not be painful, and let them understand about allergies and why getting tested will help them feel better.

There are three different effective ways to help children with allergies, the first treatment option is to avoid the allergen altogether. While this cannot work for all allergens, it can be useful for food allergens. The second treatment option is an over-the-counter allergy medicine. Finally, the third treatment is allergy shots, which is known as immunotherapy.

For more information, contact us or book an appointment. We serve patients from Lawrenceville GA, Atlanta GA, Conyers GA, Suwanee GA, Duluth GA, Grayson GA, Decatur GA, Brookhaven GA, Lithonia GA and Covington GA.