Allergies can be the bane of an adult existence, and can make your child grumpy and miserable. Some allergies that cause discomfort are not confined to a season, but can be annoying year-round. Luckily, there are certain things you can do to help your child if they are stuck with allergies that give them persistent symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes. Read on to learn more about how pediatricians at Sunlife Pediatric Network can identify allergies in your child and help your child with certain types of allergies.
What Allergies Really Are
“Allergy” is a term so often thrown around that many people may not have a clear idea of what they are, other than that their eyes get watery and they have to carry Kleenex around every summer when grass pollen bombards the air. Allergies refer to the body’s hypersensitive reaction to environmental substances or foods that are commonly found in our lives, or are “ordinary” to our environment. Both children and adults can have allergies, and adults may develop different allergies or shed certain allergies that they had as a child as they grow. The Centers for Disease Control reports that 50 million adults and children in the United States have allergies. Proper diagnosis/identification of the allergen and treatment are essential to good daily function in order to help your child cope with allergies. At Sunlife Pediatric Network, parents can work together with our experienced medical staff to put together personalized allergy care plans to help their children.
Dealing With Allergies
To determine exactly what substance triggers their symptoms, allergy sufferers can go to the doctor to get tested. Usually when you go to the doctor for an allergen test, the doctor will order skin prick or scratch tests that introduce tiny amounts of suspected allergens under the skin and read the reactions to figure out the triggers and severity of the allergies. They may also order blood work. After they identify the allergens, doctors will develop a treatment plan to cope with the allergies. Some ways your doctor may recommend to control allergies include:
- Nasal sprays, oral medications, and eye drops to handle symptoms
- Avoiding triggers like pollen, foods, pet dander, dust, etc.
- Allergy shots (immunotherapy) to make the body less sensitive to triggers
Other things parents can do to help your child’s symptoms include:
- Closing windows
- Avoiding allergen-common spaces and foods
- Avoiding tobacco smoke
- Limiting outdoor time during peak allergy season
- Have the child wash their face and hands frequently (or even change clothes) particularly after playing outdoors
- Being aware of which medicines and interventions are most effective and which ones are not and alerting your pediatrician
Contact Us Today
The more you know about your child’s allergies, the more you can pinpoint and avoid symptoms. Call Sunlife Pediatric Network at our Pembroke Pines or Plantation, FL locations to learn more and schedule an appointment today.