Spring Allergy Survival Guide: How to Shoo the Ah-Choos

from Shine Newsletter, Spring 2007

You’ve given your child cold medicine for weeks to ease her sneezing and runny nose, yet her winter cold hasn’t disappeared. Why? It could be springtime allergies, which affect 40 million children in the United States.

Pollen, mold, animal dander and dust are harmless for many people. But for others, the body’s immune system overreacts to certain substances, called allergens, as though they were dangerous invaders. This results in the release of chemicals that cause allergic reactions, which can range from annoying
to dangerous.

“Children with allergies primarily experience symptoms including itching; congestion; clear, watery nasal discharge; and itchy, red, watery eyes,” said Dan Atkins, MD, allergist on staff at The Children’s Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics with the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center. “Other symptoms include itching inside the ears, on the roof of the mouth and in the back of the throat. Because of the itching, many children rub their noses with the back of their hands in an upward motion referred to as the ‘allergic salute.’ Asthmatic children may notice an increase in their asthma symptoms during the spring and fall pollen seasons or when exposed to other allergens, such as animal dander.”

Goodbye Allergies...

There’s no easy cure for allergies, but you can help your child cope with them by reducing or eliminating her contact with allergy triggers.

To avoid outdoor pollen, minimize early morning activity, keep windows closed in your car and home and change your child’s clothes after she returns from prolonged outdoor play sessions. If your child suffers from indoor allergens such as animal dander and mold, try the following spring-cleaning checklist.

Spring-Cleaning Checklist

• Minimize clutter and dust thoroughly twice a week.
• Banish furry pets from your child’s bedroom, and wash walls and doors with a damp cloth to remove sticky, invisible pet dander.
• Place pieces of cheesecloth or filters made specifically for allergies under the faceplates of the bedroom heating vents to help filter out allergens, and change it monthly.
• Wipe the inside of your refrigerator with vinegar to kill mildew.

…Hello Relief!

When spring-cleaning fails to help your child, the medical staff at The Children’s Hospital Breathing Center and Allergy and Immunology Clinic can help. Our physicians offer family-centered education as
well as physical examinations, skin testing and laboratory testing.

“We first identify the allergens that are affecting the child and work to develop strategies for avoidance in addition to creating a treatment plan tailored to the needs of each child,” said Dr. Atkins. “If this doesn’t work, we decide if further evaluation and changes in therapy, are necessary. In children with a less-than-optimal response to therapy, who have symptoms a significant portion of the year, allergen immunotherapy or allergy shots may need to be considered.”

Learn more about allergies and asthma . To schedule an appointment at the Allergy and Immunology Clinic at Children’s, call 720-777-1234.