SPRING is coming, and many children have developed allergies. An estimated over 200 million people in China suffer from many types of allergies. Any child may become allergic, but children from families with a history of allergies are more likely to be allergic. Children may inherit the tendency to become allergic from their parents, but only some of them will develop an active allergic disease. Children’s allergies can show up in different ways including skin rashes (atopic dermatitis or eczema), asthma, allergic rhinitis and food allergies.

Skin rashes

Allergic skin reactions are very common, and it can be difficult to figure out what causes them. There are hundreds of different kinds of rashes that can be caused by many things, such as foods, fibers or organic solvents.Allergic eczema (atopic dermatitis) and hives (urticaria) are two of the most common skin rashes. Eczema affects 10 percent to 20 percent of children and 1 percent to 3 percent of adults. If you have eczema, your skin may become red, irritated and itchy.

Contact dermatitis is caused when the skin touches either an allergen or something that irritates it, causing symptoms such as a rash, blisters, itching and burning. Most cases of contact dermatitis are not caused by an allergen but by something that irritates the skin such as soap, detergents and some plants.

Asthma

People with asthma are sensitive to different triggers in their environment. Triggers cause inflammation (swelling and redness) in airways and make asthma worse.

Atopy is the genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases. Many people with asthma are atopic and have a general tendency to develop allergic diseases such as hay fever, eczema and anaphylaxis. If you are atopic, allergens may be important trigger factors that can worsen your asthma.

When a person with allergic asthma is exposed to allergens, their asthma gets worse. Depending on the allergen and where it enters the body, they may experience different symptoms.

Allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is an allergic reaction that happens when your immune system overreacts to substances that you have inhaled, such as pollen. The two types of allergic rhinitis are seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and perennial allergic rhinitis, which occurs year-round. Hay fever is caused by outdoor allergens. Perennial allergic rhinitis is caused by indoor allergens such as dust mites, pet dander and mold.

Symptoms of allergic rhinitis resemble a cold, but they are not caused by a virus the way a cold is. When you breathe in an allergen, your immune system springs into action. It releases substances known as immunoglobulin E into your nasal passages, along with inflammatory chemicals such as histamines. Your nose, sinuses, or eyes may become itchy and congested.

Food allergies

People with a food allergy have an immune system that reacts to certain proteins found in food. Their immune system attacks the specific protein as if it were a harmful pathogen, such as a bacterium or virus.

Signs and symptoms can vary and the patient may experience just a tingling in the mouth, or come out with a severe rash and have serious breathing difficulties. When an allergic reaction is severe and life-threatening, it is known as anaphylaxis.

Among children, the most common foods to trigger allergic reactions are peanuts, wheat, soya, milk and eggs.

How can you prevent allergies? The most important thing is to find out what is triggering our allergies, and keep it away. Here are the tests:

1. IgE test (immunoglobulin E test)The IgE test measures the blood level of IgE and tests 27 allergens. IgE antibodies are associated mainly with immediate allergic reactions (when the immune system overreacts to environmental antigens such as pollen or pet dander) and parasitic infections.

An IgE test is often performed as part of an initial screen for allergies. Symptoms of allergies may include hives, itchy eyes or nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, tight throat and trouble breathing. Symptoms may be seasonal (as with allergies due to pollen or molds) or year-round (as with food allergies). They can range from mild to severe, depending on the child and the allergy.

2. IgG test (immunoglobulin G test)The IgG test measures the blood level of IgG antibodies specific to 90 antigens. The IgG antibodies are associated with non-atopic or “delayed” food reactions that can worsen or contribute to many different health problems. These reactions are considered the most common form of immunologically mediated food intolerance.

An IgG response to food is actually more common than the IgE response, which causes an immediate reaction. These reactions are more difficult to notice since they can occur hours or even days after consumption of an offending food. The link between the food and symptoms may not be apparent. These “hidden” food allergies are caused by increasing blood levels of IgG antibodies in reaction to specific foods.

3. Mora allergens test

Mora allergens test is a German technique through the electrical biological signal measuring allergens. It is a noninvasive and painless test that can measure more than 900 allergens within 20 minutes. The Mora test is used more commonly in China to detect allergens. When people take the blood allergens tests and find nothing but their allergic symptoms still persist, they take Mora test and usually find some hints as to their allergies.

The best way to reduce symptoms is to avoid what causes your allergies. For food allergies, avoid consumption of the offending food, and for airborne or contact allergens, we can take protective measures such as air purifiers, hats, masks, gloves, and even avoiding going outside, or moving to another place for a while. Avoidance of allergens can reduce symptoms and avoid life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Desensitization is a treatment in which the person is gradually vaccinated with progressively larger doses of the allergen in question. This can either reduce the severity or eliminate hypersensitivity altogether.

(Chen Yongsheng is a doctorat Sunray-Clinic.)