Since the success of winter, there are more children coughing and wheezing in pediatric clinics than before. Some of these mothers then struggle with this: Why is my child always coughing and wheezing when it is serious, or even wheezing when he or she has a cold? Other mothers may find that their children sneeze and have a runny nose; or their babies are difficult to bring up, do not eat well, always cry suddenly and are difficult to soothe, and have rashes and itchy skin; other children are always sick, easily upset stomach, easily catch colds and coughs, and do not grow taller. In fact: some of the above performance of the baby may be “allergic” in the blame.
What is “allergy”? Also known as atopic, it means that an individual or family can produce specific IgE antibodies to allergens (usually proteins). “Allergy” should be carefully defined and requires confirmation of the presence of specific IgE antibodies in the child.
What is an allergic disease? It should be called “atopic disease”. When allergic symptoms occur in individuals with typical “allergies”, they are atopic reactions, such as atopic asthma.
What are the early allergic symptoms? Early allergic symptoms in infants are mostly caused by food allergies. At a young age, the possibility of food allergy should be highly suspected when allergy symptoms are severe. In addition to skin symptoms, most infants with food allergies
There are also gastrointestinal symptoms (which can vary in severity). Since the main foods of artificially fed infants are milk, eggs and peanuts, milk and eggs should be excluded for a short period of time to assist in the diagnosis; breastfed infants should be questioned in detail about the mother’s diet.
Gastrointestinal manifestations: vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal reflux, constipation (with or without perianal rash), bloody stools; in severe cases, growth retardation, iron deficiency anemia, hypoproteinemia, enteropathy or severe colitis.
Skin manifestations: atopic dermatitis, facial, lip and eyelid edema, post-feeding urticaria, pruritus; in severe cases, growth retardation, iron deficiency anemia, hypoproteinemia.
Respiratory manifestations: itchy nose, runny nose, otitis media, chronic cough, wheezing; acute laryngeal edema or airway obstruction may occur in severe cases.
Ocular manifestations: itchy eyes, lacrimation, transient eyes, and bulbar conjunctival congestion.
Systemic manifestations: persistent restlessness and abdominal pain R3 days/week (crying/agitation, R3 hours/day) lasting more than 3 weeks, growth retardation; in severe cases, anaphylactic shock may occur.
What tests can help us to diagnose?
The main ones are: blood sampling: 1) serum IgE: elevated; 2) peripheral blood eosinophil ratio: elevated. 3) food and inhalation allergen testing.
Skin tests: 1) skin test; 2) patch test.
It is important to note that positive results of allergen testing alone (skin test, serum slgE) must be combined with clinical manifestations to determine the type of allergen causing the allergy.
Can it be prevented?
Doctors caution that prevention often starts with infants.
(1) Primary prevention: The main target is infants who have not yet been sensitized (have not yet produced allergen-specific IgE).
1. Life and diet of the pregnant mother
Maternal smoking increases the risk of allergy in the infant and active and passive smoking should be avoided as much as possible.
2.Lactating mother’s diet
Food allergens can be passed to the infant through breast milk, but at low levels. Lactating mothers of infants with high allergy risk (parents or siblings with genetic allergies, etc.) should reduce the intake of common allergenic foods, including: milk, eggs, shelled seafood, etc.
3. Infant diet
The most important route of exposure to exogenous allergens during infancy is the digestive tract, with food as the main allergen. Early infant diet should be based on dairy products.
A main method.
Exclusive breastfeeding can effectively reduce the occurrence of allergies during infancy. Breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months of life. If an allergic disease has occurred in an exclusively breastfed infant, it is recommended that the mother should try to avoid suspected allergenic foods such as milk and make adjustments according to
local dietary habits. Infants generally delay the addition of solid foods until after 6 months of age, and for foods that are likely to cause allergies (e.g., milk, eggs, etc.) it is recommended that they be added after 12 months of age.
B. Secondary methods.
Moderately hydrolyzed protein formula may be used for mixed or manual feeding of infants at high allergy risk. It is recommended to use it as early as possible after initiation, as early exposure to whole milk formula may lead to sensitization of the organism. Feeding should continue through infancy and solid foods should be added gradually after the immune and digestive systems are moderately well developed (after 6 months of age).
C Probiotics: Appropriate use of probiotic strains with well-defined functions has a role in the prevention of allergy in infancy.
(2) Secondary and tertiary prevention: The main target is infants who already have allergy symptoms, and the measures are similar to treatment.
(3) Environmental control:
For infants who have already developed food allergy, it is recommended to reduce the dust mite content in the environment, including reducing indoor dust accumulation, controlling the temperature and humidity of the indoor environment, and using anti-mite bedding for those who have been confirmed to be allergic to dust mites, if available. when recurrent respiratory infections or chronic cough symptoms occur around 12 months of age, inhalation allergen allergy evaluation should be performed to avoid blind antibiotic treatment.
Characteristic TCM interventions.
Food therapy
Lotus seeds, yam and lean pork porridge
Effects: Tonifying the lung and strengthening the spleen
Recipe: lotus seeds 25g, dried yam 30g, japonica rice 100g, lean meat appropriate amount
Method: Boil lotus seeds, yam, round-grained rice and lean meat with appropriate amount of water.
Dosage: 1 to 2 times a day.
Traditional Chinese medicine external treatment methods.
Three volt days moxibustion, three nine days moxibustion, pediatric massage, bee therapy
The traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture point application therapy is carried out during the three volt days in summer, usually in July and August.
Sanjiutian moxibustion: Traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture point application therapy is performed during the Sanjiu days in winter, usually around December and January.
Pediatric Tui Na: It is a technique of tui na and massage at pediatric acupuncture points to treat childhood diseases.
Bee therapy: Painless bee therapy in Lingnan is a method that uses Chinese herbal medicine to feed wild Chinese bees to reduce toxicity, together with the application of acupuncture techniques to reduce toxicity and the selection of pain-insensitive acupuncture points for stabbing. Bee therapy has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, immunomodulatory effects, and has been shown to be effective in allergic diseases.