The incidence of infectious allergic reactions (collectively referred to as “allergic problems” in this article) in pediatric clinics has also increased since the beginning of winter.
The following factors are currently considered to be associated with an increase in allergic diseases or manifestations.
1. The continuous emergence of infectious agents, especially new mutated viruses.
2. The proliferation of artificial foods and changes in dietary patterns (an artificial food often contains multiple additives), including artificially fed foods in infancy.
3, excessive application of drugs (especially antibiotics intravenous and oral), rapid increase of vaccine types and vaccination rates.
4, The increase of pharmacogenic allergic factors such as other biological agents.
5, environmental factors, synthetic chemicals widely used and present in the daily environment, air pollution: furniture, toys, electrical appliances, chemical disinfectants, air fresheners, laundry detergents, various ingredients of “incense”, cosmetics, spray topical drugs, excessive use of humidifiers, etc.
6, genetic factors, intrauterine and early life allergic factors: the influence of food and mental factors of the mother during pregnancy
Second, the main manifestations of allergy symptoms.
1, skin: often after birth, the newborn period that appears, such as eczema and seborrheic dermatitis.
2, gastrointestinal and other mucosal allergy manifestations.
Often manifested as mild gastrointestinal disorders, including overflow, diarrhea, constipation or abdominal pain caused by sleep disturbance and crying, etc. In severe cases, feeding difficulties, affecting nutrition and growth and development, bloody dysentery-like stools, or even a state of exhaustion.
Other mucous membranes are mainly manifested as respiratory symptoms: cough, nasal congestion, throat whistling, runny nose, pharyngeal congestion, etc. In severe cases, infants with pneumonia-like or pneumonia syndrome manifestations.
3. Respiratory allergy manifestations.
Cough, wheezing, nasal congestion, runny sneezing, pulmonary infiltrates, rales, etc. In severe cases, allergy and infection are mutually causative, recurrent respiratory infections or sinusitis, infection/allergic allergic pneumonia, respiratory tract inflammation.
4, other sites: such as cardiovascular, neurological, etc., but there is a lack of sufficient evidence or no consensus on.
Some people believe that the disease can be manifested as myocardial damage (ECG or myocardial enzymatic abnormalities), or even EEG abnormalities, etc.
Allergy and infection are often causally related to each other.
1. Small infants (mostly less than 6 months old) with clear runny nose, sneezing, and nasal congestion, whose parents complain of repeated “colds”, “bronchitis” and even diagnosed “pneumonia” are in fact food allergic (milk, eggs and other breastfeeding can also be), with or without gastrointestinal symptoms. Mostly accompanied by sleep disturbances, sudden distress, etc.
2. Young children and children with recurrent cough, with or without runny nose and sneezing, often lasting more than 2 to 4 weeks after a respiratory infection, are clinically diagnosed with allergic cough (or airway hyperresponsiveness) after a respiratory infection (or after pneumonia). Most of these children recover in 1 to 3 months, and a few develop cough variant asthma. Infection and asthma promote each other’s conversion.
3, small infants with diarrhea, some with blood-like stools a few bloody stools, can be accompanied by other gastrointestinal dysfunction such as overflow, intestinal cramps (performance of sleep disturbance, unexplained distress, panic) or alternating constipation diarrhea, etc., but also can not gain weight or slow growth. Intermittently can occur conditionally pathogenic even enteritis (only at this time need to take antibiotics 3 to 5 days)
4, pneumonia caused by various pathogens (especially with mycoplasma and viral) after the slow absorption of rosacea, slow absorption of chest shadows or antibiotic-related cough, airway hyperreactivity, etc. Very few evolve into interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis (or the above diseases start in the form of infectious pneumonia).
IV. General considerations for allergic children
1. For long-term, recurrent children, parents must correctly understand the nature of infection and allergy as both causing “inflammation”. The two are one in two, two in one (this requires “enlightenment” to understand). Avoid purely antibiotic anti-inflammatory, antibiotics only eliminate the inflammation of bacterial infection, excessive application itself also cause inflammation allergy. It is also important to avoid blindly administering all preventive vaccines and overdosing on immune boosters regardless of the specific situation.
2, repeated occurrence of the above-mentioned conditions in children, must be small infant feeding methods, children’s dietary habits, the environment of young children (including kindergarten), children’s lifestyle and the development of good psychological character and other comprehensive measures to intervene. Not a single dose of medication. At the same time, we must regularly visit the doctor and follow the medical advice for systematic conditioning.
3, children advocate a balanced diet, regular rhythm of life, reduce learning and other psychological stress; early childhood (1 to 3 years old) is a sensitive period of intellectual, psychological and character development, parents should be carefully induced to develop good eating and living habits. To wash hands regularly but do not have to be “excessively clean”; dress not too much Thames heat, to exercise the ability to resist cold; to balance the diet. The risk of infection and allergy increases significantly when children enter kindergarten before school age, because the environment changes greatly and the child’s mind needs to adapt. It is very important to develop their adaptability and avoid being overly spoiled. At the same time, allergic coughs in toddlers and preschoolers have different degrees of conditioned immune response mechanisms, which manifest themselves in environmental and emotional correlations, and can be called expectant, habitual, or psychogenic coughs, which also require parental awareness to discover and adjust.