Pollinosis in children: allergy to pollen

Pollinosis in children is a chronic allergic disease. Like any allergy, pollinosis in children isconsequence of increased sensitivity of the body to the influence of a certain environmental factor. In this case, the pollen of plants is an allergen. When pollen enters the mucous membranes of the body, they react with inflammation. Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose manifests itself as a runny nose, and the eye - conjunctivitis.

Pollinosis is one of the most commonallergic diseases in children. It can manifest at almost any age. The predisposition to the occurrence of allergies is transmitted genetically, but the environment plays a big role in the development of pollen infection - those plants that grow in a particular climatic zone. For example, in the central part of Russia stands out three flowering periods potentially dangerous for plant allergens:

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  spring period (April and May) - flowering of trees (hazel, oak, alder, birch, etc.);
• 
  summer period (June and July) - flowering of cereal grasses (wheatgrass, timothy, fescue, bluegrass, foxtail, hedgehog, etc.);
• 
  summer-autumn (late summer) period (August and early September) - flowering of mazewood and composite plants (quinoa, ragweed, wormwood, etc.).

It turns out that the pollinosis in children can manifest itself anytime from April to September depending on the pollen of which plants acts as an allergen.

How to distinguish between pollinosis and other diseases?

Sometimes parents make the mistake of takingan allergic rhinitis for a respiratory infection, and begin to treat a child from ARVI. The allergy does not pass or take place, and unnecessary medicines to an organism to advantage do not go. At first glance, it is really possible to confuse the pollinosis with a cold: itching in the nose, problems with nasal breathing, abundant liquid discharge from the nose, sneezing are characteristic of both diseases. But, unlike SARS, Pollinosis in children is rarely accompanied increased fever, weakness, sore throat and enlarged lymph nodes.

It is also easy to confuse another commonmanifestation of pollinosis - allergic conjunctivitis - with bacterial and viral conjunctivitis. Common symptoms for all kinds of conjunctivitis are reddening of the mucous eyes, itching, swelling of the eyelids, photophobia, lacrimation, a feeling of "sand in the eyes". But allergic conjunctivitis in hay fever is not accompanied by purulent discharge from the eyes and usually affects both eyes (in contrast to bacterial and viral).

In severe cases, pollinosis in children can take the form of bronchial asthma. Pollen asthma is manifested in the same way as asthma in general, typical symptoms - dry cough, wheezing, wheezing, attacks of suffocation. Allergic asthma in pollinosis is often combined with allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis.

To make a diagnosis, you need to contact the pediatrician, which will exclude similar manifestations of the disease (ARVI, bronchitis, viral and bacterial conjunctivitis, etc.). Special tests are then performed to identify the specific allergen.

How to treat anthrax in children?

Treatment of pollinosis consists of two components: elimination of allergen and medication. To start you need to protect the child from exposure to the allergen: do not go out of town, do not walk in hot, dryand windy weather. It is better to go for walks after the rain, which nails the pollen to the ground. After a walk, you need to change your clothes and wash your eyes and nose with water.

It is necessary to tighten the windows with a frequent net, which protects against the penetration of pollen. Grid should be regularly wetted, from time to time - washed or changed. It is important to monitor purity and humidity in the apartment.

In the flowering period of plants, the child must be transferred to a hypoallergenic diet, because Pollinosis in children may be accompanied by food allergy to related products: fruit, berries and products of their processing (juices, jams, preserves, etc.), honey, medicines with herbal components.

Medicamentous treatment of hay fever is to take antihistamines(antiallergic) drugs. They need to be taken daily during the entire flowering period. When swelling of the nasal mucosa can appoint vasoconstrictive drops to remove the swelling and restore nasal breathing. They need to be taken no more than seven days in a row. In severe cases, hormonal preparations of local action (glucocorticoids) are prescribed.