Allergies and your child, what you must know

From seven months when complementary foods were introduced to his diet, Alex Masiko developed allergic reactions. He started getting a rash around his elbow and neck area. These would get worse when he ate fish. “Milk was also another problem as ingestion would culminate into a running stomach that would go on for a week leaving him weak,” his mother shares. She stopped giving him such foods because the pain and hospital expenses were more than she could handle.
However, when he turned six years, Masiko’s mother started feeding on him fish in small quantities once in a while to see if he would react again. “I noticed that unlike before, the reaction was mild. I then made a decision to give him fish at least once a week and diluted milk every two weeks,” she adds. The frequency and quantity were increased gradually and at 10, Masiko nolonger reacts to these foods and only gets the eczema when the weather changes.
A reaction
An allergy is a hypersensitive reaction of the body to any common substance. Allergen, the allergy-causing substances can either be ingested, inhaled or applied to the skin. Dr Elizabeth Kutamba, a paediatrician with Kids Health Haven, says, “Almost everyone reacts to something but the rate of reaction varies from person to person and genetics and immunity dictate how one reacts.”
That said, in the case of children, the major factor is that their immune system is not well developed. “Lymphocytes (white blood cells) in children are imbalanced before the age of five hence likely to get allergic reactions and infections. These cells stabilise with time and the child will have a stable immunity from five years and above,” she explains.

Why allergies may thrive
Dr Kutamba says the amount of exposure to a substance a child gets determines their reaction. For example, if a child encounters a cold, their body will produce antibodies that will protect them from the next flu encounter. Therefore, children who get more frequent bouts of flu get stronger immunity with time, compared to those that do not.

This is because while the former’s immunity is sensitised, the latter’s immunity is not. While it does not mean that parents and caretakers should leave the children to the elements, they ought to strike a balance by giving them a balanced diet and keeping their environment clean while allowing them to explore their surroundings.

Anaphylactic reaction
This is the most freighting of all allergic reactions because it happens immediately. Dr Shahnawaz Aktar, a paediatrician at UMC Victoria Hospital, says it could be caused by foods such as peanuts and dairy products, among others. The presentations of the reaction include swollen lips, puffy eyes, itchy skin, and red patches on the body. In a more severe condition, the child will drool, feel dizzy as well as experience hypertension.
Dr Aktar says such a condition can only be managed in a hospital and in case of occurrence, immediate medical attention should be sought. “However, for persons known to have anaphylactic reactions, an epinephrine pen is prescribed. This is administered as soon as the reaction occurs by either a guardian or the child as long as they have been taught,” he explains.

Allergic rhinitis
As they usually will, children play with pets, curtains but the fur and dust respectively from these could trigger this allergic reaction. However, Dr Aktar says it is not life threatening. The symptoms of this reaction include itchy, watery eyes, running nose, mild skin reaction (itchy or redness), lots of sneezing, coughing, blocked nose, breathing difficulty when sleeping, and coughing.

Allergic cough
Some children, Dr Aktar says, are allergic to pollen, dust, and fur. That will lead to excessive and frequent coughing, say once or twice a month. As the allergy advances, some could develop chronic cough that could either be mild or severe in presentation. They could also start coughing in the night, in the morning or in the cold weather and the frequency might increase to a weekly basis. He adds that it could be followed with a running nose but these wear off as the weather gets warm.
In some cases, Dr Aktar says the allergic cough could give way to childhood asthma, “A child can outgrow this by 10 to 12 years provided the right medication is given for the right duration,” he says.
Treatment
One of the treatments used, and one that he advocates for is an inhaler. There are two types; the controller inhaler which he says is the best treatment to control severe symptoms and the reliever inhaler which is used when the child gets an attack. “While most parents hate and choose to do away with them, inhalers have a lower dose of medications compared to what is found in syrups and tablets,” he says.

Eczema
From the time he was three months old, Christine Matovu’s child started developing a skin rash that would sometimes result in wounds. After a number of tests, the doctors said he was having an allergic reaction. She was advised to stop using any king of medicated or scented soap and creams and after about a month, the child’s skin cleared.
Dr Aktar explains that eczema is a general term used for skin conditions that cause a scaly look. One of such is dermatitis where the child will have redness on the skin, itchy and dry skin. It is caused by allergens, reactions to metal colour and material as well as reaction to foods.

Determining the causes
For Matovu, her son’s allergies were mainly caused by medicated soap or scented creams. She, therefore, resorted to bathing him with non-medicated soap and using a cream that is prescribed by a doctor. The son’s skin will break out in a rash the moment he uses anything other than what he should. Dr Kutamba says most of the time, the reactions are the same whether respiratory, gastral or skin. That said most of the diagnosis is based on the history of the child. “While it is possible for one to react to everything and anything, attention should be paid to what the child reacts to severely,” she advises.
Therefore, for a child with allergies, a food dairy is a must-have. Besides that, she urges parents to give children one food a time, “You could start with say potatoes, then chicken and slowly add other foods as you watch the child’s reaction,” she says.
There is also need to pay keen attention to family genetics as some allergic reactions such as allergic rhinitis run in the family line. However, being keen helps parents to know what to avoid,” she mentions.
However, there is also a possibility that with continued exposure of the body to that substance, the body’s immunity will build up to fight off the reaction. Dr Kutamba points out that while desensitising the immune system is a great way to deal with allergies, it should be dealt with on a case by case basis.