Anaphylactic Shock

What’s Anaphylactic Shock?

Anaphylactic shock which is also known as anaphylaxis is a severe and rapidly spreading allergic reaction. It is also a health emergency that a parent could face. It begins when the immune system of the body reacts to a harmless material assuming it to be a serious threat. It triggers the release of histamine together with some other chemicals. Some of the symptoms caused by this release can be threaten life. These symptoms that a toddler can show include:
 Swelling of the face, lips, skin, throat or tongue,
 Severe or wheezing problems,
 Irregular or rapid beating of the heart,
 Hives,
 Loss of consciousness, dizziness, fainting,
 Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, nausea,
 Sweating, pale skin redness of the skin or blue coloration of the skin,
 Confusion.

 

Food Allergies For Toddlers

Food Allergy – For My Toddler?

It has been estimated that some 6% of small children and 3% to 4% of adults in the U.S. have some kind of food allergy and as such it is possible that your toddler could have food allergy, but it still might turn out to be something else.

You may be able to identify early signs of an allergy if you know how it works. You should also know what to do in case your child reacts to an allergy.

What Is Asthma?

When the lungs and airways (the passages that take in air to and out of the lungs) get inflamed then the condition is known as chronic asthma. If these airways of your toddler are swollen and cause irritation and it affects his breathing then your toddler has asthma.

Prevention and treatment of asthma in your toddler should be done with the aid of your toddler’s healthcare provider. This is important. Most asthmatic toddlers do fine with good education, medications, a plan of action for handling asthma and a regular medical follow up.

What Takes Place During An Asthma Attack That Is Acute?

The lining of the airways of your toddler becomes more inflamed and more mucus is produced if he or she has an attack of asthma that is acute. This tightens the muscles around his airways and cause narrowing of his breathing tubes. He may wheeze (create a whistling sound, cough or breathe rapidly. This is because his breath is being forced through his airways that are narrowed. You may see the nostrils of your toddler flare or a sucking of the skin around his ribs with each breath.

 

Toddler Allergy

What Is An Allergy?

When a substance in the environment known as an allergen causes a reaction in the immune system, it is called as an allergy.

When a child having allergy, either by having it injected, breathing it, eating it or touching it makes contact with an allergen, its body views it to be a dangerous attacker by mistake and releases histamines and other chemicals to fight it away.
These chemicals cause an irritation resulting in symptoms such as coughing, itching, sneezing and a runny nose.

The symptoms of allergy can be mild, severe, intermittent (e.g., seasonal), or continuous due to constant exposure to the particular allergen.

Pet Allergies – What Are They?

It is an immune system related reaction to animal dander (skin flakes), urine, saliva or feces. The fur in itself is not allergic but it is a trap for mold, dust, pollen and other allergens. When children having pet allergies breathe in dander or come into contact with pet droppings or saliva, histamine and some forty other chemicals are released by the child’s immune system to get rid off the allergen.

The nose and the airways of the child get inflamed and the following well known symptoms of allergy are caused. They include symptoms of asthma like wheezing or coughing, sneezing, watery eyes and runny nose. Most asthmas, in fact, begin in early childhood and animals are usually the offenders. Contact of your child’s skin with the allergen causes hives or skin rashes.

Lactose Intolerance And Your Toddler

Lactose Intolerance – What I It?

When your body cannot manufacture the required amount of lactase, the enzyme required to digest, the sugar in cow’s milk or other dairy products, then you are lactose intolerant. This results in the accumulation of lactose in the intestines and brings about gastrointestinal ailments. They are not dangerous but distinctively uncomfortable.
This ailment usually makes its appearance in grade school or in the teen years. Though the symptoms may show up earlier, the possibility of your toddler having lactose intolerance is unlikely.

The Causes Of Lactose Intolerance
The exact reasons why individuals are lactose intolerant is not known and it is estimated that some 30 to 50 million of the population of the U.S. are lactose intolerant.
Genetics seems to play a role.

Hives

What Are Hives?

Hives is more commonly known as welts and are swollen patches on the skin. They come in different sizes and shapes but are usually with a pale well defined central raised area with a red border surrounding it. They usually itch are common but not contagious. Your toddler might break out in hives, a group of them that may disappear in a few minutes to a couple of hours but they may reappear again at some other location. Sometimes they last for more than a few hours and can last for days. They can even last for months at a time.

The Causes Of Hives

Hives appear when a chemical known as histamine is released by the body. The reasons for this are numerous that it is quite difficult to identify the offender but some of the possible causative factors are listed below.........

Can You Really Protect Your Child From Allergies

Are you missing out if like most people there isn’t a pig in your home as a pet. Pigs are intelligent animals and can even be house trained. They also have a redeeming feature – Children are unlikely to have allergies if they grow up with a pig. Of course you have to put up with a lot of oinking and grunting but less of sneezing and wheezing.

Pauline Williams, a 24 year old daycare provider and a mother of a one year old daughter, does not have a pig. But Pauline is battling allergies in her own way. Williams who lives in Austin, Texas has many allergies herself. Enough of them to make her hyper-vigilant. She says that she is allergic to smoke, molds and dust. She also says that she is allergic to wheat that makes her break out in rashes and also that eating corn sets of an attack of asthma and that it is purely her fault as she ate a lot of corn as a kid.

What Takes Place During An Asthma Attack That Is Acute?

The lining of the airways of your toddler becomes more inflamed and more mucus is produced if he or she has an attack of asthma that is acute. This tightens the muscles around his airways and cause narrowing of his breathing tubes. He may wheeze (create a whistling sound, cough or breathe rapidly. This is because his breath is being forced through his airways that are narrowed. You may see the nostrils of your toddler flare or a sucking of the skin around his ribs with each breath.

If you leave it untreated or there is a delay in getting medical attention, asthma can be fatal. As soon as the symptoms of the attack are noticed, immediately give your child the “quick-reliever” medication prescribed by your toddler’s physician. (In case you do not have the emergency medicine, immediately call 911 or take him to the nearest emergency department.)

Do Allergies Cause Asthma, asthma triggers, asthma in children?

In some children, exposure to allergens like animal dander, pollens, mold, cockroaches or dust mites can set off or worsen the symptoms. This is known as allergic asthma. Seasonal allergies due to outdoor pollens (also known as hay fever) is usually not a problem till your toddler is 4 or 5 years old, since it may take that long to build up a sensitivity to them. Allergies to animal dander, mold or dust mites may happen earlier in life, though.

Significant allergies are present in about 75% to 80% of children with asthma. In case your child has asthma and you are aware or believe that he has allergies, you may want to consult an allergist for further more evaluation and therapy to help in the prevention of asthma attacks

How Can An Allergist Discover What My Child Is Allergic To?

A skin test is a way of determining an allergy trigger. A small prick with a minute amount of liquid allergen is made on the skin of your toddler. The presence of an allergy is indicated by the appearance of welts or bumps on the skin, akin to a mosquito bite.

A skin test is sensitive and can only be interpreted by an allergy specialist who can then inform you whether to keep your pet or to find a new home for him. You will have to do a thorough cleaning of your home. Even after a thorough cleaning, it will take months for it to make a difference.
 

Are Allergies Inherited?

Inheriting allergies is a definite possibility but not a specific one. For instance, if you have a food allergy, pet allergy or hay fever, there is a fifty-fifty chance that your toddler might inherit some kind of allergy, but not necessarily that of yours. The probability goes by another 25% if both parents have allergies.

What Steps Should I Take To Prevent My Toddler From Developing Allergies Initially?

Right now, there is a lot of controversy about delaying or preventing allergies by either accelerating or postponing exposure to potential allergies.

Dr. Virant says that perhaps someday genetics may help determine what a toddler is bound to be allergic to and what should be done about it. He also says that at present there is no way to predict it. Of course, if you or your spouse is allergic to cats, the best thing is to not to have them in the house. The same goes for any other animal or substance
.
But regardless of whether your toddler has allergies, the best thing to do is to keep your home and your toddler’s room in particular clean and free of dust mites and mold, as far as possible

What Are The Causes Of Nasal Allergies?

For babies and toddlers, the most likely culprits are:
 Mold – Fungi that can be found in damp places such as basements and bathrooms.
 Dust Mites – Organisms that are microscopic in nature and live on the skin flakes of humans. Approximately 85% of the sufferers of allergies are allergic to these dust mites.
 Animal Dander – These are the flaky white specks made up of hair and skin that is shed by dogs, cats and other furry animals.
Some children are allergic to wool blankets, feather pillows and down. Though it is the opinion of experts that tobacco smoke cannot cause allergies in children it can definitely increase the symptoms.

Is there Any Possibility Of Curing My child Of Asthma?

There is no known cure for asthma. Some children do outgrow the tendency to wheeze and only do so if they have a cold or a upper respiratory infection. Generally, asthma is a lifelong condition. There is a possibility that the severity and frequency of the symptoms may change as your child ages. Appropriate treatment and close medical follow-up can make your child manage his condition as he ages and he can also play, swim and run like any other child. Children with asthma are known to grow up as healthy adults.Though asthma can be scary for your child and for you, keep in mind that you are not the only one. It will be surprising for you to know how many families deal with asthma in their children.