Reducing reactions from seasonal allergies — from hay fever to bee stings.
“Ah-Choo” may be commonly heard around town this time of year as many children — and adults — fight with the different elements in the spring air. With pollen counts soon becoming a staple on local newsfeeds, along with the rebirth of buzzing sounds from insects in the area, here is some information to better prepare you for this allergy-filled season.
Is It A Cold Or An Allergy?
So, that runny nose must be a sign of seasonal allergies, right? Not so fast, it could just be a cold. Seasonal allergies and colds share common symptoms but have different causes.
Dr. Sandra Hong, a Cleveland Clinic Respiratory Institute allergist, determines whether your child has a cold or allergies by asking the following questions:
1. Did the symptoms present themselves all at one time? Likely, you have allergies.
2. Did the child first experience sneezing, then a runny nose and later nasal congestion? Cold, it is.
3. How long have the symptoms lasted? If your child’s symptoms last no longer than 10 days, she or he had a cold. Seasonal allergy symptoms typically last months at a time, or as long as the patient is exposed to the allergen.
4. What does the mucus look like? Nasal discharge that’s yellow is caused by a cold, and suggests an infection. Clear, thin, watery mucus results from allergies.
5. How often does your child sneeze? Sneezing is far more common with allergies — especially sneezing multiple times in a row.
6. Does your child have a fever? Allergies are not usually accompanied by a fever, but colds are.
7. Is your child experiencing itching? Itchy eyes, nose, throat and ears are common with allergies. They don’t usually associate with colds.
‘Bee’ Prepared Or Other Insect Allergies
Summer will be here before you know it, and if you or your child is allergic to insect stings, you need to be prepared in the event of an anaphylactic reaction.
About 2 million people in the U.S. suffer from severe bee, wasp or hornet allergies. Immediate treatment is important, as approximately 40 people in the country die each year as a result of severe reactions to insect stings.
“Your face swells, your lips swell, you feel like you’re going to vomit,” Hong says of insect allergy symptoms.
Others include hives all over the body with severe itching and swelling, tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, dizziness, fainting, stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea, a drop in blood pressure and cardiac arrest.
These symptoms typically occur within minutes of the sting.
“If you get stung in one spot, but have a reaction somewhere else on your body, you need to call 9-1-1 to get emergency care,” Hong says.
People who know they have severe allergies should always carry an EpiPen, and make those around them aware of their allergy. That way, if they do get stung, someone with them can administer an injection of symptom-relieving epinephrine if they are unable to.
Hong suggests skin-testing for those with severe insect allergies in order to explore the most effective therapies and reduce symptoms.
New Treatment For Allergies?
Currently, allergy shots are the most effective treatment available to reduce allergy symptoms of any sort — seasonal, pet dander, among others. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is exploring new, less-invasive forms of allergy immunotherapy.
Sublingual oral immunotherapy, or SLIT, is expected to be approved by the FDA later this year for grass and ragweed allergies. The oral drugs will likely be used to treat both adults and children. A daily dose will effectively eliminate symptoms for specific seasonal allergies.
“The new therapy will be a convenient treatment for adults and children, and will allow a unique and comfortable alternative to traditional immunotherapy shots,” says Dr. Michael Benninger, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Cleveland Clinic’s Head & Neck Institute.
Keep an eye out for FDA approval of these drugs later this year, and be sure to ask your doctor about it being a feasible treatment option for allergies.
Article courtesy of Cleveland Clinic News Wire.
For more information, please visit my.clevelandclinic.org
For information on protecting kids from food allergies, read this article here.
