If you have a baby with allergies, take multiple measures to take good care of him

Skin eczema, allergic gastroenteritis, allergic rhinitis, asthma...The immune systems of children and adolescents are not yet fully mature, and they are an important group threatened by allergic diseases.

A relevant official from the National Health Commission's Science, Technology and Education Department said that the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases has become one of the public health and medical care issues that need to be urgently addressed in my country.

Children's allergies are complex and diverse

Allergic diseases, also known as allergic diseases, are a large class of diseases in which the body produces an abnormal immune response to common environmental factors, causing repeated attacks and health damage. They have a genetic tendency.

According to the data from the World Allergy Organization, by 2022, more than 10% of the world's population will be troubled by allergies. Among them, the prevalence of allergic diseases in children and adolescents is complex and diverse.

"In my country, allergic diseases in infants and preschool children mainly manifest as skin, mucous membrane and digestive system symptoms, including skin eczema, atopic dermatitis, food allergies, etc." Xiang Li, director of the Allergy Department of the National Children's Medical Center and Beijing Children's Hospital, said that with the increase of age, the proportion of eczema and food allergies in children and adolescents decreases, and allergic reactions manifested in the respiratory system increase, such as allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma, with a prevalence of about 15% and 6% respectively. The distribution type of inhaled allergens is mainly dust mites in southern my country, while in North China it is mainly mold and summer and autumn grass pollen.

Experts say that the manifestations of allergic diseases in children evolve with age. If single-system allergic diseases are not diagnosed and treated in a standardized and timely manner, there is a risk of progression to multi-system allergic diseases, increasing the probability of complications and comorbidities, and making diagnosis and treatment more complicated and difficult. However, if eczema, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis are diagnosed and treated early and adequately, the risk of developing asthma can be reduced.

It is important to identify allergies early and complete the treatment course

"Colds and allergies have similar symptoms. Both can affect the respiratory system and may cause nasal congestion, conjunctivitis and other symptoms. Parents should pay attention to distinguish them." Shang Yunxiao, director of the Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, said that the key difference between the two lies in the medical history and duration of symptoms. Cold symptoms usually last 7 to 10 days, while allergy symptoms may last for several weeks. Whether the child can participate in sports activities normally, the daytime learning status and whether the child sleeps well at night are also important references.

Screening for allergens is crucial to preventing and treating allergic diseases in children from the source and making objective diagnoses. It can not only help doctors prescribe medications, but also help children consciously avoid "dangerous substances" in their lives. Some parents of children with allergies will subjectively guess which allergen is at work. Shang Yunxiao said that this kind of self-assessment is not advisable and can easily delay treatment. Currently, the commonly used allergen detection methods in clinical practice include serum allergen detection and skin prick test. It is recommended to go to the pediatric or allergy department of a regular hospital for examination.

In terms of treatment, allergic diseases are chronic non-communicable diseases, and the main management strategies include avoiding allergens or using specific immunotherapy, as well as symptomatic drug treatment.

Xiang Li said that we should pay enough attention to the early identification and effective treatment of allergies, avoid unscientific and undesirable self-judgment and insufficient treatment, and insist on obtaining information from professional medical institutions and authoritative channels. For example, when a child is diagnosed with food allergies, close follow-up, timely adjustment of dietary structure and nutrient supplementation should be carried out during the dietary avoidance process to maintain the child's normal growth and development; when using topical hormones to treat severe allergic conjunctivitis, periodic follow-up visits should be followed, and medication should not be stopped or added without authorization to ensure the effectiveness and safety of treatment.

Treatment needs to take into account both medication and chronic disease management

Allergic diseases are prone to recurrence due to environmental factors during the growth of children and adolescents. Experts suggest that we should emphasize both drug treatment and non-drug chronic disease management. On the one hand, parents, schools, etc. can strengthen their understanding of the disease and help children manage their allergies. On the other hand, we can do more to "prevent disease before it occurs", strengthen the public health system, increase the monitoring and prevention of allergic diseases, and issue normative diagnosis, treatment and disease management guidelines with feasible practical guidance.

Xiang Li believes that in order to fully identify and accurately diagnose at the clinical level, it is necessary to pay attention to the overall condition of the child and the nature of the disease, and avoid looking at symptoms in isolation from the respiratory, skin, digestive tract or mucosal systems. This puts higher demands on the training of pediatric specialists. To this end, we can continue to strengthen the construction of pediatric talent teams and improve the pediatric health care system by regularly and systematically conducting grassroots pediatric talent training, building a one-stop allergy diagnosis and treatment center, and conducting multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment.

(Xinhua News Agency reporter Gu Tiancheng Li Heng)