In life, we often see eczema on the face, hands and feet of infants and children, which is a manifestation of atopic dermatitis in infants and children. However, did you know? This inflammation of the skin area is actually a likely precursor to childhood allergic diseases (including chronic relapsing dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, allergic gastrointestinal symptoms, etc.) or asthma. In recent years, the number of children suffering from allergic diseases is increasing and parents lack proper knowledge about them.
For example, when a child has a runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion or a sore throat or cough, parents often mistake it for a “cold” and mistakenly use anti-cold medication and antibiotics to treat it. In fact, cold symptoms can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, but more often than not, they are caused by allergies to cold air stimuli. The former is usually accompanied by fever, headache, fatigue, decreased appetite, white blood cell changes and other systemic symptoms, treatment requires antiviral drugs or antibiotics; the latter is the precursor of allergic rhinitis or bronchial asthma, need to give anti-allergy drugs and anti-asthma drugs, antibiotics use is not only ineffective, but will bring a lot of adverse reactions. Therefore, once your child has the above cold symptoms and they last for more than a week, you should see a doctor who specializes in penicology or asthma as soon as possible to give your child a clear diagnosis and to develop a more complete treatment and prevention plan.
Let’s talk about some common misconceptions about allergies.
Myth #1: Physical exercise can change allergies.
It is true that physical exercise can strengthen children’s resistance and reduce the chances of viruses and bacteria invading the body, but this is completely different from fighting allergies. On the issue of changing allergies, physical exercise actually has no effect, because allergies are caused by the genetic defects of birth.
Myth No. 2: Taking anti-cold medication can be used to treat allergic rhinitis.
Cold, also known as acute rhinitis, is a viral infection caused by the inflammation of the nasal mucosa, manifested as general malaise, fever, sore throat, etc., the attack is short, generally 7-10 days to heal. Allergic rhinitis is also a kind of rhinitis, manifesting as nasal congestion, nasal itching, sneezing, runny nose, etc., which will recur and have seasonality. Common cold medicines are compounded with some ingredients that are effective for allergic rhinitis. For example, pseudoephedrine can reduce nasal congestion, paracetamol can stop itching and anti-allergy, but there are other ingredients in cold medicine such as antipyretic and analgesic. Some people tend to take cold medicine to relieve the symptoms of allergic rhinitis when it strikes for convenience. Although there is a little effect on allergic rhinitis after taking cold medicine, its side effects cannot be ignored, so you should still go to the hospital with special treatment drugs.
Myth No. 3: Allergic rhinitis will definitely cause hyposmia.
Hyposmia is caused by the edema of the nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis patients, which blocks the olfactory cells where the substance molecules are in contact. If some of the olfactory cells have become necrotic, it will definitely produce hyposmia. If the nasal mucosa is swollen and blocking the olfactory pathway, the sense of smell can still be restored.
Myth No. 4: Allergens such as pollen, willow, dust, etc. are induced by direct contact with the nasal cavity, conjunctiva and trachea.
Allergens are allergens that come into contact with the human body and activate the mast cells and eosinophils and release certain chemical mediators – such as histamine and slow-reacting substances – into the bloodstream, which then combine with the conjunctiva, skin mucosa and tracheal mucosa to cause allergies; not directly with the nasal cavity, conjunctiva and trachea. It is not caused by direct contact with the nasal cavity, conjunctiva and airways.
Myth No. 5: Allergy is a sign of enhanced immunity.
Some parents believe that children with allergies are less likely to catch a cold. However, there is hardly a single academic report on allergic people who have higher resistance to viruses or bacteria than normal people. In fact, when the flu is prevalent, the incidence rate of allergic people is not lower than that of the normal people at all. Therefore, allergy is actually a pathological immune enhancement or abnormal hyperactivity.
Myth No. 6: Allergic diseases are just a little painful when they strike, but usually they are the same as healthy people, so it doesn’t matter whether they are treated or not.
A little sneeze can cause cartilage damage to the ribs – don’t doubt it, this is a real thing that happened to us. The pollen in Birmingham, England, was the “culprit” for Li Na’s rib injury that prevented her from playing at Wimbledon. Medical statistics show that a large proportion of patients without active treatment will suffer from allergic rhinitis, exudative otitis media and bronchial asthma, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. Therefore, it is important to emphasize prevention as the main focus and to prevent the problem before it happens.
Myth No. 7: Allergies can’t be removed from the root.
With the progress of modern medicine, the World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed treatments such as desensitization therapy for dust mite, pollen and cat hair allergies, which can cure the cause of allergic diseases, so allergies are no longer incurable.
Myth No. 8: Allergies are not hereditary.
People with allergies in their families do not necessarily have the same symptoms or the same allergic diseases, and even people with allergies can have no symptoms or never have allergic diseases in their lives without encountering a certain number of allergens. However, children with a family history of allergic diseases have relatively more severe symptoms and are more difficult to treat when they develop allergic diseases. Therefore, parents with allergic diseases must treat them early to avoid affecting the next generation.
Although allergic diseases are not necessarily life-threatening, the quality of life of a child suffering from this disease can be significantly affected. Its development is closely related to genetics, but the influence of environmental factors cannot be ignored. Therefore, early recognition, diagnosis and prevention are necessary.