For people with allergies, the body’s normal defense mechanism does its job a little too well. As a result, there’s a rush of inflammatory cells to the mucus membranes (as in asthma and hay fever) or to the skin (eczema). Which, in turn, gives rise to allergy symptoms.
Allergy sufferers often have oversensitive mucus membranes, and as a result, symptoms can also be triggered or intensified by non-allergic factors, including infection, cigarette smoke and other airway irritants. In other words, if your child has allergies, her symptoms can sometimes emerge even if she steers clear from her specific allergen.
Why do some people get allergies?
Genetics and environmental factors are each involved. When parents have allergies, children are likely to develop them too. Kids inherit the tendency to develop allergies, rather than specific allergies.
External influences in the environment can also contribute. Most at risk are babies in the first few weeks and months of life, and the effects may even begin when baby is still in the mother’s womb. As a child grows, her immune system changes. By age 1, there is a shift in the balance of different types of immune cells, making an allergic response to foods less likely. This is why it is generally recommended that infants are not fed the most commonly reactive foods (like nuts) until after their first birthday.
Why are there more allergies these days?
In decades past, allergic illnesses were fairly rare. Now 30 to 40 percent of the population is allergic in one way or another – and the increase is highest in Western countries.
For a while, it was thought that pollution and bad indoor air were responsible, but it now appears that other factors are just as important. Changes in diet could also play a role.
Many believe in the so-called “hygiene hypothesis”: the idea that we have gone too far in sanitizing children’s environments, and that this has led to an increase in allergies.
Significantly, children – especially in developed countries – now have fewer infections in the first years of life, and fewer bacteria in their intestines.
As a result, the immune system is exposed to far fewer “challenges” than it’s really adapted for. Instead, it reacts to other foreign substances, which can lead to allergies.
Food allergies
These are actually the most common form of allergy in babies. Eggs (especially the whites) and cow’s milk are the primary culprits.
Most babies are exposed to cow’s milk proteins either in infant formula or through breast milk if mom consumes milk products.
Many pediatricians advise against offering baby any eggs, nuts, citrus or fish at all for the first year, because these are some of the most common allergy triggers.
Although it’s good for baby to get used to a range of foods – so that her intestines can form antibodies against foreign proteins, thus actually learning to tolerate them – in allergic people, antibody levels are so high that they trigger an immune-system reaction. This can lead to symptoms ranging from eczema to vomiting, stomach pains, diarrhea and, in very rare cases, anaphylactic shock.
Most babies who are allergic to eggs, cow’s milk or wheat develop a tolerance during childhood and are eventually able to eat them. Allergies to fish, peanuts, shellfish and strawberries usually last longer, and are sometimes even lifelong.
These allergies are usually treated by carefully avoiding the food. A doctor or practitioner can help you determine how to make lifestyle changes and take appropriate precautions to keep your little one safe.
Eczema
Atopic eczema is a skin disorder that often begins in the first year of life. The degree of eczema can vary. It often starts on the face and body, spreading to the inside of the elbows, the back of the knees and the wrists. Children with eczema have sensitive skin which is prone to dryness and itchiness.
Scratching can cause the eczema to weep and become infected, which in turn increases itchiness. Preventing dryness is the most important treatment of atopic eczema – avoid strong soaps and excessive washing and bathing, and apply moisturizing cream as needed. It may occasionally be necessary to apply anti-inflammatory ointment.
Some children with atopic eczema have allergies – often to foods. They also have a significantly increased risk of developing other allergies later, which can in turn cause asthma and hay fever. For breastfeeding mothers, eating a food your child is allergic to can exacerbate her eczema. Although the food allergy isn’t the cause of the eczema, it can make it worse.
Can allergies be prevented?
Sometimes yes! In one recent study, pregnant moms were given probiotic supplements from 4 to 8 weeks before their due date and for 4 to 6 months after delivery (while nursing). Those mothers who took the supplements demonstrated about half the chance of having an infant with eczema.
Allergies can be a nuisance – and should be handled seriously – but with some adjustment, your child should be able to live a perfectly happy, normal life with them.