The allergy march

The source of your child’s allergies may be you.

ALLERGIES may be downright annoying, but it is quite amazing when you get to know what it really is. To appreciate what an allergy is so that we can control it rather than let it control us, we must first understand the body’s immune system.

The immune system is a wonderfully efficient defence mechanism that prevents infections. Its job is to recognise foreign invaders and react by producing antibodies to fight these foreign invaders that cause infections and diseases. Except sometimes, the immune system overreacts to substances that are actually not harmful to the body. This is when allergies occur.

For people who are prone to allergies, almost any substance can cause an allergic reaction. Common culprits are substances that are found in the home like dust mites, traces of household detergents, cleaning fluids, moulds, certain types of foods, and even pets. Things that we come in contact with every day can become a problem to an allergic person.

Outside the home, there is also a host of environmental allergens like pollen, pollution, chemicals and smoke that can make life a misery for people with allergies. If the allergies are not dealt with or managed, the body is at risk of being unable to function normally.

Allergy spectrum

Allergens provoke symptoms ranging from mildly annoying to fatal. The more tolerable symptoms are itchy and watery eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, asthma, and itchy inflamed skin in the case of hives and eczema.

On the other hand, an allergic person may also encounter more serious conditions that can lead to a fall in blood pressure, or anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition in which the symptoms include swelling of the throat and mouth, constriction of respiratory passages, nausea and unconsciousness. Any allergen can cause this condition, but the most common culprits are foods, insect stings and drugs.

The march begins

An allergy may go through several stages known as the allergy march. This may start as early as during pregnancy. Then in your child’s early years, he may develop common signs of allergy such as vomiting and diarrhoea, or colic.

The clinical picture may progress to eczema which causes dry, red and flaky patches on the skin; at around the same time, food allergies could appear. There would then be some decrease in symptoms of eczema or occurrences of food allergies as children grow older.

However, later stages of the allergy march would present themselves with nasal symptoms (rhinitis) such as blocked and runny nose, itchiness and wheezing or asthma.

Whilst this is the norm of the allergy march, the reverse may occur. Eczema may present itself later in life, preceded by asthma or rhinitis. This reversal of sequence of clinical symptoms is sometimes referred to as the reverse allergy march.

Allergy tracing

Correct diagnosis and the ability to determine the root cause of any ailment are the most effective ways to find a solution. Although not all allergies are inherited, the cause of allergies in a high percentage of people can be traced back to their parents.

If one parent has allergies, then the child is considered to be in the high-risk category, and he has a 20%-40% chance of having allergies. If both parents have it, then the probability could increase to 50%-80%. It is thus important to find out as early as possible if the parents of a child have allergies. If the test results are positive, then the next step is to take preventative measures to reduce allergies.

At the end of the day, there is a multitude of factors that can trigger off allergies. Prevention is possible if it happens at an early stage of a person’s life. – Article courtesy of the Malaysian Society of Allergy and Immunology

For more information, visit www.allergymsai.org.

Quick facts

• About 35% of children are affected by allergies.
• Almost 60% of all allergies appear during the first year of life.
• About 50% of children with food allergy will go on to develop other allergies like eczema, allergic rhinitis or asthma in later life.
• The vulnerability to allergies is hereditary.

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