What should I do if my child has allergies when the seasons change? Don’t worry, the doctor will teach you how to prevent it through daily care!

In Taiwan, 1 in 3 children is allergic. When the seasons change, the temperature difference and weather changes are quite large, causing babies to sneeze non-stop and even start to have a runny nose. How to reduce the chance of seasonal allergies? It turns out that just taking care of these things can improve your home environment!

Taiwan has a high proportion of children with allergies, especially in urban areas. For parents who have children with allergies at home, what should they pay attention to in their daily environment?

My baby keeps sneezing, why is he prone to allergies when the seasons change?

Chen Yizhen, an attending physician at the Department of Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Medicine at Chung Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, said that allergies can be divided into two types, seasonal allergies and normal allergies. Common seasonal allergies include It's pollen, but the chance of having pollen allergies in Taiwan is low, and most people have regular allergies.

It is important to note that normal allergies will aggravate allergic symptoms due to seasonal weather changes, so you need to pay more attention when the seasons change. For example, in spring in Taiwan, between March and May, the climate is particularly unfavorable. Stable, if the humidity increases during the rainy season, it is more likely to cause seasonal allergies. According to statistics from the Meteorological Bureau, there were 19 areas with relative humidity exceeding 80% in March, such as Taipei and Yilan. Dust mites, one of the most common allergens in Taiwan, like to live in an environment with a relative humidity of 70 to 80%. Therefore, at this time, the rate of asthma and allergic attacks in children is also particularly high.

Four types of allergies are common during the change of seasons

Dr. Chen Yizhen mentioned that even if the baby has allergies, it does not necessarily mean that the baby will be allergic. It is because the allergens in the environment induce the baby to develop allergies. reaction, the following are four common allergic conditions:

1. Asthma: Common symptoms are difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness, and chronic cough, which are especially serious when the weather changes.

2. Allergic rhinitis: Common symptoms are continuous sneezing, runny nose, nasal itching, and nasal congestion in the morning.

3. Allergic conjunctivitis: Common symptoms are easy blinking, red eyes, itchy eyes, burning sensation, and dark circles.

4. Atopic dermatitis: The common symptoms are small red papules on the joints of the limbs, cheeks, behind the ears, scalp, neck and other parts.

Third-level prevention reduces the probability of allergies in babies.

Currently, the medical community mainly adopts three-level prevention to reduce allergies. The period from before birth to after birth is an important time to reduce the occurrence of allergies.

First level prevention: Preventing genetic sensitization

If both parents have allergic symptoms, there is a high chance that the baby will inherit the allergy. The immune system develops from about the fourth month of pregnancy to six months after birth. If a pregnant woman encounters an allergen at this time, her allergic constitution will be "induced". This is the process of "sensitization". Therefore, pregnant women must avoid allergens to protect their fetuses from “sensitization”.

For the complete article, please refer to: Baby and Mother April 2020 issue.

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