Have you ever noticed? Why does your child seem to have difficulty breathing, frequently have a stuffy nose, especially at night, snore lightly while sleeping, breathe through the mouth all night, wake up with a dry mouth, and feel like they haven’t had a full night’s sleep? Did you know that these symptoms may be caused by allergies? If left untreated, it can affect the child’s development and daily life.
Rising numbers… with ongoing severity
According to a survey by the Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Association of Thailand, over the past 40 years, the incidence of allergic diseases has increased 3-4 times compared to before. These include allergic rhinitis at 23-30%, allergic bronchitis or asthma at 10-15%, atopic dermatitis at 15%, and food allergies at 5%. The survey also found that children are more affected than adults, with up to 40% of children having allergic rhinitis. When children have allergies, they are at risk of developing other complications such as sinusitis, nasal polyps, middle ear infections, and snoring. If children are school-aged, it may cause problems such as daytime sleepiness, short memory, or reduced learning ability.
How many types of allergies are there in children?
Allergic diseases in children are divided into 4 main types
1. Food allergies which can be found from a young age. The most common food allergens are cow’s milk, soy milk, peanuts, wheat flour, eggs, and seafood.
2. Atopic dermatitis is characterized by itchy skin.
3. Allergic rhinitis causes symptoms such as itchy nose, runny nose, and nasal congestion, which are worse in the morning or when exposed to allergens like dust or animal hair.
4. Asthma causes easy coughing, phlegm, and when exercising or exposed to triggers, bronchial constriction leads to difficulty breathing and shortness of breath.
The impact on the body that allergies never tell you
Many parents may know that allergies are the body’s response when exposed to allergens, causing chronic inflammation in various organs such as the skin, nasal mucosa, conjunctiva, respiratory tract mucosa, or gastrointestinal mucosa. However, what many may not know is that people with allergies can respond more quickly than usual to non-allergenic factors as well, such as heat, cold, low air pressure, rain, or even humidity. Allergies also affect the development of children both physically and mentally. Some children who were once cheerful may become irritable, fussy, withdrawn, and importantly, may lose confidence.
Check clearly… to reduce risk and avoid correctly
Allergen testing can be done in 2 ways: Skin Prick Test and blood testing. Both methods have different advantages.
- Skin Prick Test involves placing allergen extracts on the skin, usually on the forearm or back. Then, a needle tip is used to prick the skin to allow the allergen to penetrate. The doctor observes the body’s reaction to the allergen for about 15-20 minutes. The advantage of this method is that results are immediate after testing. However, it requires stopping antihistamine medication before the test, and the child must have skin suitable for testing, i.e., not overly sensitive to pricks, as this may cause false negatives.
- Blood allergy test involves drawing blood to directly measure allergy levels to allergens (Specific IgE). It can test for food allergies such as egg yolk, egg white, wheat flour, nuts, and airborne allergies such as dust mites, dog hair, and cat hair. The advantage of blood testing is that it can be done on children who cannot undergo skin prick testing, such as those with severe allergies who need continuous antihistamine medication and cannot stop medication, or children with skin sensitive to pricks. Blood test results take 5-7 days to process.
Because development is crucial for children to grow strong both physically and mentally, avoiding factors that may negatively affect their development and daily life is important. Don’t let ‘allergies’ block their learning because we can avoid them.