Currently, more and more children suffer from allergies. How does it manifest? Signs such as watery and red eyes, itching, rashes on the skin, indicate that the child may have a disease such as allergies. Frequent cases of this disease are primarily associated with environmental degradation. At risk are people who live in problem regions, where many industrial enterprises are located. There are also other factors that cause allergies in the child, such as a hereditary predisposition. The easiest way to get rid of this disease is to exclude the source of its appearance. But the problem is that identifying the causative agent of an allergy is not so simple.
What is the child allergic to?
When an allergy begins in an adult, determining the source of its occurrence is much easier than in a child. This is due to several factors. Firstly, an adult can determine for himself what causes such reactions in him.
And the child does not focus on the cause of these signs. Secondly, the baby’s body is not yet fully grown and it’s difficult to resist allergens at the stage of growing up. Therefore, there are cases when the childhood form of the disease goes away on its own.
Adding new foods to your diet can cause allergies.
The most common allergy in babies is a reaction to introducing new foods into the diet. Therefore, nursing mothers are advised to start complementary foods with one spoon and carefully monitor if any rashes have appeared on the skin. As a rule, these reactions pass as they grow older. It is believed that before a child reaches 3 years of age, it is not worth taking tests for allergens in children, as this makes no sense. If a young child has severe allergic reactions, then parents are advised to exclude foods that may become a source of their occurrence from the diet, rather than taking tests for allergens in children. By blood, it is not always possible to accurately diagnose. First, you need to protect the baby from citrus fruits, chocolate, red berries, caviar.
Also, the cause of this ailment can be products such as cow's milk, fatty meat. You need to act by exclusion, that is, remove products from the child’s menu that can cause an allergic reaction. When identifying the source, it is recommended not to give this product until the baby is 3 years old.
Analyzes. Kinds
If allergy symptoms are found, do not delay and it is better to consult a doctor. First, the specialist must find out the patient’s lifestyle, namely, in what conditions he lives, whether there are animals in the house, what clothes he wears, what he eats, and so on. This is due to the fact that this disease can be a reaction to various things. Therefore, it is important to consider all possible risk factors. Next, tests for allergens in children are prescribed. They can be of two types:
- An analysis that consists of a skin test.
- Analysis of blood serum.
Also, patients are prescribed scarification skin tests to determine whether there are antibodies in the body and tests.
Allergen tests in children. What are scarification tests?
Scarifications are scratches that are made on the skin. As a rule, they are applied to the forearm, then the liquid containing the allergen is dripped onto them. Or a special injection is given to the child, which contains the allergen. There is also a special patch that sticks to the skin. If the child has a positive reaction in the form of a tumor of the skin or itching, then this means that the test is positive and the allergen is detected. This diagnostic method has contraindications:
- Age restrictions up to 5 years.
- Any diseases, for example, nervous, cardiological and others.
Antibody Analysis
The essence of this method is that in a normal state in the human body there is a limited amount of lgE. And when an allergic reaction occurs, their number increases several times. Such a blood test for allergens allows children to identify not one, but the entire group. As a rule, this study is done in conjunction with tests.
But in the case when the tests are contraindicated, this type of examination is prescribed. In order to determine the amount of antibodies, blood is drawn from a vein 3 hours after eating. Unlike the above methods for detecting an allergen, this is considered the simplest.
Blood Donation Tips
If you have any symptoms of allergies, you must pass the tests for allergens to the child. Material for research is given in the morning to an empty stomach. If a child is taking antihistamines, stop drinking them a few days before the test. In the case when the medication was not left, you should warn the doctor.
Allergen tests in children. From what age do and where?
This type of analysis is prescribed by an immunologist to identify the source of allergies. You can consult a doctor at a district clinic or at a private medical facility. When contacting a paid clinic, it is better to inquire about customer reviews and see a specialist’s qualifications.
Depending on the type of analysis, it is decided at what age you can do it. For example, blood from a vein can be taken from a month-old baby. And the tests have an age limit. To surrender them to the baby must be more than 5 years old.
Conclusion
It should be said that allergies can occur on anything. For example, dust, wool or plants. There are narrowly targeted analyzes. They allow you to more accurately establish the product or substance that is the source of the ailment. Do not take allergies seriously, as it can develop into a more serious disease. Therefore, removing its signs through drugs is not the best way out of the situation, it is necessary to identify the cause of the occurrence.