If you’re worried that there might be more to your child’s cough than a common cold, it’s possible your child may be suffering from allergies.
Family doctor Dr. Roxanne MacKnight says, “I’m definitely seeing more kids with allergies these days. But I think we’re just diagnosing them more accurately now.” Common triggers in children are environmental factors like dust, mould, and pollen, but here’s how to spot them if they do appear.
5 Tell-Tale Signs Your Child May Have Allergies:
1. Mom or dad has allergies
Along with passing down genes, parents can pass down their predisposition to allergies to their kids. Family history is, in fact, one of the greatest predictors of allergies in children, and allergic kids can often come from allergic parents. Dr. Roxanne MacKnight says, “The genetic link won’t guarantee a certain allergy is passed along, though similar allergies tend to run in families.”
2. A cough that’s triggered when your child cries, laughs or becomes nervous
If your child has a cough that persists for weeks or months and is accompanied by other cold-like symptoms, it may be a sign of asthma triggered by dust, pollen, pollution or pets. The first thing you should do is pay attention to what triggers this, and what time of year it is. You also want to write off that it’s not a cold or virus caused by common germs at daycare.
3. Shortness of breath and wheezing
While many children who wheeze don’t necessarily have asthma, it’s usually a good predictor of the allergy. If it looks like your child is working hard to get air in and out, and their lungs are hyperinflating (with their chest and shoulder puffed out), this might be a big clue. The best thing you can do if you notice this is to make an appointment with your child’s doctor.
4. A dry, scaly itchy skin rash, known as eczema
Eczema can be triggered by certain foods in your baby’s diet, but it can also be an inherited condition. Luckily for parents, 80% of children with eczema will outgrow it, but once it disappears, it may make way for another type of allergy. Allergist Dr. Zave Chad says, “We call this evolution from one allergy to another the ‘allergic march.’” In this case, it’s best to do a skin test for your child.
5. Vomiting and abdominal pain after eating
When a child has a food allergy, there’s no delay to the symptoms, and they usually appear quickly and within minutes to a half hour. Common food triggers in infants include milk, nuts, eggs, soy and sesame. If this is the case, you should consult with your child’s doctor immediately.
Are there any signs we may have missed?
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5 Tell-Tale Signs Your Child May Have Allergies is an article from: LifeDaily