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                   How can I tell if my baby has

                  allergies just a cold?

It can be tough to tell the difference between a cold and allergies in babies, but there are some telltale signs. If it seems as if your baby always has a cold, there’s a good chance he actually has nasal allergies (also known as allergic rhinitis). Colds usually wind themselves down in a week to ten days. Allergies don’t. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your baby’s nose always stuffy or running?

• Is he constantly wiggling, wiping, or pushing his nose (doctors call this the allergic salute)?

• Is the mucus that drains from his nose clear and thin (as opposed to yellow or greenish and thick)?

• Does he seem to sneeze a lot?

• Are his eyes itchy, red, and watery?

• Does the skin under his eyes look dark or purple or blue (doctors call these allergic shiners)?

• Does your baby breathe through his mouth?

• Does your baby have a dry cough?

• Does he have irritated skin or an itchy red rash?

If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, there’s a good chance your baby is allergic to something in his environment. Children with nasal allergies are also more prone to ear infections and asthma.

What causes allergies?

An allergy is a physical reaction to a substance in the environment. When a child with allergies comes into contact with one of these substances, known as an allergen, either by touching it, breathing it, eating it, or having it injected, his body views it as a dangerous invader and releases histamines and other chemicals to fight it off. The most common allergens in babies are these:

• Dust mites — microscopic organisms that thrive on human skin flakes

• Animal dander — those white flaky specks on cats, dogs, and other furry animals

• Molds — fungi found in wet, damp places such as bathrooms and basements

Common symptoms of nasal allergies include runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes, and itchy rashes. They’re the result of histamines causing swelling and excessive mucus production. (Most food allergies have different symptoms.)

"Because it takes at least six months of regular exposure to an allergen for a child to develop a reaction to it, allergies in babies are not as common as people think," says José Carro, an allergist and immunologist at Miami Children’s Hospital. But some children will have a reduced reaction called an allergic sensitivity at a young age, he explains, especially if they have house pets or are allergic to dust mites, which are common in almost every home. Seasonal allergies to things such as pollen and grass, on the other hand, usually don’t rear their ugly (and stuffy) head until the late toddler years.

How can I figure out what my baby is allergic to?

• It takes some careful detective work and sometimes the help of medical tests to pinpoint the exact cause of an allergy. One clue may be when the allergy attacks occur. Mold allergies usually develop during rainy or damp weather and can be hard to distinguish from colds. Dust mites or pet allergies often cause morning congestion that lasts all year long. Pollen-related allergies are more common in spring and fall.

  If you have a strong suspicion that your baby is allergic to something in particular, try to keep the offender away for a few days. If Fido seems like a good candidate, send him on a short vacation to a friend’s house or the kennel. If you’re leaning toward dust mites as the culprit, clean your baby’s room thoroughly (see below for ideas on how to keep dust mites at bay). If your baby’s symptoms calm down after these experiments, you’ve probably identified the problem.

  If your own sleuthing doesn’t pan out, it’s time to see your pediatrician. She’ll examine your baby and ask lots of questions. If she believes the problem is allergies, she may refer you directly to an allergic specialist or she may likely suggest a blood test. Blood tests, however, have high false negative rates, meaning the test may come back indicating your baby doesn’t have an allergy when, in fact, he does. If the blood test does suggest an allergy, the next step for your little sniffler is a skin test. You’ll need to see an allergist for that.

  During a skin test, an allergist will apply small amounts of common allergens onto your baby’s skin to see how it reacts. Unfortunately, the false negative rate is also fairly high with skin tests done on children under 18 months. That’s because a baby’s skin isn’t fully mature (which can skew a test toward the negative) or the suspected allergy isn’t fully developed at the time of testing. "I always warn the parents of my patients that a negative skin test is only predictive of the allergy at that moment in time, but it doesn’t guarantee that a child won’t develop allergies at a later time," says Carro. "Any child who has persistent allergy symptoms or symptoms that get worse should be reevaluated in six to 12 months."

  How are allergies treated in babies?
  The most important thing you can do is reduce your baby’s exposure to the allergen. Here are the best ways to do that for the most common allergens:

  Dust mites
  The following steps may seem like a lot of work, but the end result is significant. "I have patients who have up to a 90 percent improvement in symptoms from elimination of exposure to dust mites in the bedroom," says Carro.

• Encase your baby’s crib mattress and pillow in an impenetrable cover made of vinyl or a similar material. (You can find these kinds of covers at allergy supply stores.)

• Wash bedding once a week in hot water (over 140 degrees Fahrenheit) to kill dust mites.

• Avoid piling up stuffed animals in your baby’s room — they’re dust mite magnets. The few favorites your baby can’t live without should be washed weekly or stuck in the freezer for an overnight chill (the cold air will kill the mites).

• Dust and vacuum on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, but make sure your baby isn’t in the room when you do it. The action of dusting and vacuuming can stir up residual dust mite particles in the room. Wet mopping can help prevent this.

• Consider investing in a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate arresting) filter, which traps even microscopic particles that pass right through ordinary vacuum cleaners.

• If the room is carpeted, consider tearing up the carpet and replacing it with a smooth floor.

• Install filters on furnace and air-conditioner vents and replace them annually. Have heating ducts cleaned each fall and clean the filter once a month during the winter.

Molds
Use a dehumidifier and air conditioner when the weather is warm and moist, especially in wet basements or other areas of your home where mold growth is a problem. If your bathroom is a mold factory, clean it regularly with mold-inhibiting disinfectants (a little bleach and water solution usually does the trick), and consider investing in an upgraded ventilation system. Mold can often be found growing in closets, attics, cellars, planters, refrigerators, shower stalls, garbage cans, and under carpets.

Are there any medications that can help my baby?

Yes, but don’t give him any over-the-counter allergy medicine without talking to your doctor first. She’ll likely suggest antihistamines and decongestants, and possibly offer you a prescription. Many of the newer allergy medicines have fewer side effects than other products on the market. (These medications are not approved for children under age 2, but your pediatrician may prescribe them at a reduced dose for your baby if she feels they’re warranted.) "I believe children should be treated any time allergy symptoms interfere with their or their family’s lifestyle," says Carro.

What can I do to prevent my baby from getting allergies in the first place?

Keeping your baby away from all possible allergens is the best prevention possible, but within reason. "It is unfair to deprive children of a lifestyle that everyone enjoys just to prevent a disease that may not show up in the first place," says Carro. So don’t get rid of Fluffy or Fido just because you’re afraid your baby may develop an allergy to cat or dog dander. However, since allergies are inherited, if you and your spouse are allergic to house pets, you may want to delay getting one until your baby is older.

Since one of the most common allergens is dust mites — nearly 85 percent of allergy sufferers are allergic to them — make sure you’re diligent about reducing your baby’s exposure. Dust mites live in fabrics and carpets and are common in every room of the house. But most babies receive their greatest exposure in the bedroom, where mattresses and pillows are veritable dust mite condominiums. (Some estimate that 10 percent of the weight of a six-year-old pillow is dust mite carcasses and fecal matter.) Follow the tips above to keep your baby’s bedroom an allergen-free zone.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 15th, 2006 at 11:30 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.