Allergic disease can manifest itself in many different forms, including:
Allergic Rhinitis
Commonly called "hay fever," allergic rhinitis is an irritation of the nose where the inside of the nose becomes inflamed after being exposed to an allergic trigger. It often is associated with asthma and sinusitis.
Common symptoms are:
- Watery eyes
- Sneezing
- A runny nose
- Itchy eyes and nose
- Children who have allergic rhinitis may have dark circles under their eyes
- Children may use the palm of their hand to push the nose up in an attempt to
relieve itching (which is known as the "allergic salute.")
Because both asthma and allergic rhinitis are diseases that affect the airways, controlling rhinitis will help control symptoms in people who also have asthma.
Asthma
Asthma is an ongoing disease that inflames the airways, making it difficult to breathe. It can be tricky to diagnose because it often is mistaken for other respiratory disorders, such as bronchitis or pneumonia.
Up to 80% of children with asthma develop symptoms before the age of five. A child's physician must rely heavily on the parents' observations to determine the signs of asthma and make a proper diagnosis.
Key symptoms of asthma are:
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Young children may complain that their chests "hurt" or "feel funny," or they
may slow down when playing and become easily irritated.
Asthma also may be triggered by a family history of allergy and the child's exposure to allergens - any substance that can trigger an allergy. Common allergens are dust mites, cockroach droppings, animal dander (dead skin flakes and saliva), pollens and molds.
Atopic Dermatitis
Many parents do not realize that atopic dermatitis is part of the allergic profile. In fact, it is often one of the very first signs of allergic diseases in infants and young children.
Atopic dermatitis often will start in the first year of life. It affects 9 to 12% of the population, most of whom are children. Between 80 and 90% of children who have atopic dermatitis show signs before the age of seven.
Sometimes called the "itch that rashes," atopic dermatitis is a red, inflamed rash most often seen on the arms, legs, ankles or necks of children. Scratching that gets worse in the early evening and at night, sometimes to the point of interrupting normal sleep patterns, is a symptom of allergic dermatitis.
The good news is that the rash will often improve with age; unfortunately the symptoms of allergic rhinitis or asthma may start appearing.
There are several diseases that have an allergic component, although there also are non-allergic forms of the following diseases:
Conjunctivitis
An inflammation of the whites of the eyes is the main sign of
allergic conjunctivitis. It also is indicated by redness, tearing, stinging, or pus discharging from the eyes.
Many children with allergic rhinitis develop the symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis and are sent home from school, even though allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious. Bacterial and viral forms of conjunctivitis are contagious, and often are preceded by an upper respiratory infection.
Itchy eyes are the key distinguishing feature of allergic conjunctivitis. Symptoms that indicate non-allergic conjunctivitis are burning and scratchy eyes.
Otitis media
Earaches are common among children, however sometimes they can be a symptom of something much more serious like otitis media. Otitis media is an ear infection that occurs when viruses and/or bacteria get inside the ear. It is the most common childhood disease requiring physician care.
When the ears are infected, the eustachian tubes become inflamed and swollen. Swollen and inflamed eustachian tubes often get clogged with fluid and mucous from a cold.
If the fluids plug the openings of the eustachian tubes, air and fluid get trapped inside the ear. These tubes are smaller and straighter in children than they are in adults. This makes it harder for fluid to drain out of the ear.
The earliest signs of otitis media are usually ear pain and discomfort. The child may be irritable and pull on the infected ear. Other nonspecific signs associated with otitis media include: fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, apathy and anorexia.
Sinusitis
Pain in the forehead, teeth or face, coughing and dark yellow or green nasal discharge are the main symptoms of sinusitis. With allergic sinusitis, itchy eyes and sneezing may also occur. Sinusitis usually happens with rhinitis, and more than 50% of moderate to severe asthmatics have chronic sinusitis.
For more information on these allergic diseases, visit the Patients
& Consumers Center.
