How do you know what allergies a child has? How to find out the cause of an allergy in an adult?
In the modern world, an actual problem is an allergy. It manifests itself in that the sensitivity to certain factors, the so-called allergens, increases. Most often it can be observed in people with weak immunity. It does not always appear the first time in childhood. It happens and already in adults.
How do I know what an allergy is in a person? How does it manifest itself? An allergic reaction can easily be confused with the intolerance of any products. So you need to be informed about her symptoms.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction
To avoid serious consequences due to an allergy, you should know what symptoms you need to contact a specialist and take any measures.
- Allergies may cause breathing difficulties. In addition, there is coughing, wheezing, sneezing. The patient feels stuffiness in the chest.
- The appearance of an ordinary cold, which is not a sign of a cold, indicates the presence of this problem. At the same time he is accompanied by conjunctivitis.
- The most common symptom is a skin rash. It is often accompanied by itching.
- There is a digestive disorder. This is indicated by the appearance of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting.
- Allergy is indicated by the swelling of the lips and eyelids.
Many of these symptoms manifest themselves in varying degrees and may indicate not only an allergic reaction. In this case, a strong increase in temperature is possible. Combines the symptoms and the fact that they are rapidly developing. Some of them are specific, and therefore it will be most likely to consult a doctor.
Causes of an allergy
Before dealing with this problem, you should find out the reasons for its occurrence. These include:
- Diseases of internal organs. Most often, the effects on the appearance of an allergic reaction have a problem with the liver, stomach, endocrine and nervous system.
- Weakened immunity. Often because of this, the body loses its ability to effectively combat the influence of irritants, that is allergens. Excessively sterile living conditions. Due to the fact that there is no contact with allergens or very little, the immune system weakens.
- Environmental situation. Exposure to radiation from electrical appliances, the presence of hormones in the products, antibiotics increases the risk of allergies.
- Problems of a psychological nature. They undermine the normal state of the body, make it the most susceptible to negative factors. More often to such problems it is possible to carry a long depression or a nervous breakdown.
In young children, the risk of allergy increases if someone from close relatives suffered from this problem. This is due to genetic predisposition.
Kinds of allergens
How do you know what allergy is in a person? Allergens can be of one of two types. They can be endoallergens and exoallergens. In the first case, substances that provoke an allergic reaction are formed in the body itself, in the second they penetrate there from the environment. Exoallergens can be food, dust, plants, antibiotics, alcohol.
How do you know what allergies occur to adults?
In case of signs of an allergy it is best to consult a specialist. In this case, to an allergist. How do I know what an allergy is to an adult? Currently, medicine has a sufficient arsenal of ways to determine its causes. These include skin tests. Their essence is that allergens in pure form and small amount are introduced under the skin of the forearm.
Skin tests are divided into three types:
- Scorification test. In this case, the skin with needles or lancets is left with necrointestinal scratches, which are covered with a drop of the allergen.
- Intradermal test. Irritant is injected with a syringe.
- Trick test. This test is carried out with a prick.
How else can you tell what an allergy is to an adult? There is such a method as a provocative test. It gives more information and is indicative. Such a test involves the introduction of an allergen into the organ most affected by an allergy. It is called shock.
How do I know what an allergy is? The most effective way to determine the allergen is a blood test for the presence of IgE antibodies in it. To carry it out, the patient needs to take a small amount of blood from the vein.
How to find out what the allergy is by the extrabarar method of
If there is no possibility or desire to consult a specialist, then it is possible to identify the allergen at home. At present, pharmacies offer various tests for these purposes. They are a strip on which blood is applied. If there is a plus on it, then there is a reaction to the allergen, minus - no. However, this method is doubtful and unreliable.
How can I tell what is the allergy of a child?
Children under 3 years of age may undergo laboratory tests to determine allergens. In some cases, the permissible age is increased to 5 years. Ways are not much different from those that are conducted with adults.
How else can you tell what the allergy is in a child? Parents can also be monitored and recorded in a diary. This will be effective, since the allergy appears not only because of food, but also due to the influence of other factors. With infants, you should do otherwise.
Allergies in infants
How do I know what allergy is infants? The definition of allergens in infants has its own characteristics. This is due to the fact that conducting laboratory tests is useless and uninformative due to the unformed immune system of babies.
In this case, a hypoallergenic diet, on which the nursing mother should sit, helps. Its diet should not contain foods that can cause an allergic reaction. The duration of this diet is two weeks. Then, the products banned before then are gradually returned to the diet with a period of 2-3 days. The product, which causes a negative reaction of the baby, is excluded from the mother's diet. It is not excluded and household allergy in children. It can provoke animals, synthetic clothing, shampoos, powders. In this case, we must exclude them from the life of the baby for a while, and then return them with caution in the same way as the products. However, before all these procedures should consult a pediatrician who will consult and not make mistakes.
Prevention of allergy
How to find out the cause of the allergy, you already know. Now let's talk about its prevention. First you need to limit contacts with things that cause it. In addition, to prevent the appearance of an allergic reaction, you can organize a wet cleaning, weekly washing. There are also products that will prevent allergies. These include mustard, horseradish and fatty fish. Their action is that they contribute to the removal of harmful substances from the body. Cope with allergens can be, using a method such as washing the sinuses of the nose. The procedure is carried out with the help of salt solution or sea water.
To increase the body's resistance to factors that provoke an allergy, folic acid will help. It is found in such products as pear, spinach, Bulgarian pepper, lettuce leaves. You just have to enter them into your diet to get it.
Timely prevention is a great way to avoid such a problem. It is necessary and important for those who are predisposed to allergies.
This prophylaxis is suitable for both adults and children. It is advisable to breast-milk for the prevention of allergies as long as possible.
How to behave in the event of an allergy
The most effective way to get rid of allergies is to eliminate the effect of the allergen. In addition, the doctor can prescribe medications that eliminate her symptoms: ointments, creams, antihistamines, steroidal and decongestants. To alleviate the condition, it is necessary to address the deeper causes. Get rid of allergies forever can not. You can only weaken its symptoms or eliminate the sources that lead to it. It is necessary to clean the body of harmful and toxic substances. Systematic approach will be more effective. It consists in the fact that measures are taken gradually.
Frivolous attitude to allergies can aggravate the situation. For example, anaphylactic shock is a dangerous outcome. Therefore, it is better not to aggravate the situation and not to delay with the appeal to a specialist. In no case can the condition be complicated by self-medication.
In the article we told you how to find out what an allergy is for a newborn or an adult. Take care of yourself and your children. Be healthy!