What are childhood allergies?
We explain what the increasingly common childhood allergies are, what the different types are and why they are caused. Find out if your child has a childhood allergy.
For about 25 years it has been proven that the frequency of allergies in the child population has increased and, currently, between 25 and 30% of children suffer from some type of allergy, increasing each year around 2%.
It is estimated that by 2020 approximately 50% of the adult population will suffer from some type of allergy.
Index
WHAT IS ALLERGY?
An allergy is a hypersensitivity of our body towards a substance, thing or particle that if it comes into contact with us by touching it, inhaling it or ingesting it, produces a series of characteristic symptoms.
Thus, allergy is an abnormal, maladaptive and exaggerated reaction of our immune system to substances that are well tolerated in other people.
For example, we should not confuse food allergy with food intolerance. Intolerance is distinguished from allergies in that they provoke a response from the immune system, activating immunoglobulin (antibodies), but the immune system does not participate in intolerances.
WHAT ARE ALLERGENS?
The substances that cause allergies are called allergens .
The most common allergens are:
– Food: cow’s milk and its derivatives; egg; flour; fruits (banana, peach …); honey; cereals (wheat, rye, corn …); tomato; seafood; fish; dried fruits (hazelnut, peanut …); condiments; colorants; preservatives; vegetables (peas, carrots, asparagus …)
– Insects: bee or wasp stings, cockroach droppings, dust mites,
– Medications: penicillin, aspirin, paracetamol, muscle relaxants, vitamins, etc.
– Chemicals: cosmetic creams, soaps, perfumes, lavenders, sprays, insecticides,
– Animals: pet hair, cat dander
– Plants: pollen from certain flowers (hay fever), mold, spores, fungi,
– Sun: causes dermatitis.
– Nickel: Nickel sulfate found in many commonly used utensils, such as scissors, jewelry, watches, eyeglass frames, coins, etc.
– Latex: produce dermatitis.
– Anisakis : a fish parasite found when eaten alive.
Depending on the type of allergy, respiratory symptoms, skin symptoms or intestinal problems, among other disorders, may appear.
CAUSES OF CHILDHOOD ALLERGY
The cause of childhood allergy may be in the acquisition of a hyper-sensitization towards certain substances during the child’s life, although there is also a hereditary predisposition , since having allergic parents increases the risk of a baby having allergies by up to 80% .
IN 2020, 50% OF THE ADULT POPULATION WILL SUFFER FROM SOME TYPE OF ALLERGY
Some causes are associated with changing the lifestyle of our society. Air and water pollution can increase sensitization to certain substances, becoming true allergens.
Today we spend more time indoors than our parents and grandparents did. Babies are usually always kept at home or in closed places, such as nurseries and this means that the baby does not breathe as much fresh air as in the past, in addition to the fact that today’s babies are also more exposed to air conditioners, to cooling or heating rooms, which increase the level of humidity in the air, thus promoting the proliferation of mold and mites.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.