Hay Fever and Allergies

By : Joseph Lindo

Your toddler has had a stuffy nose for months. Could he have hay fever? A stuffy nose in a child usually means one of three things: a cold, an irritation or an allergy. Colds generally last a few days and don't cause the snuffliness that some children have. Irritation can be caused by cigarette smoke, dust and paint fumes. In the absence of these or any other obvious irritants, the problem is likely to be an allergy.

The most common symptoms of an allergy include a stuffy or runny nose with clear drainage, sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, sore throat, throat clearing and a cough that may be worse at night and in the morning, and if your child has symptoms which are only there during the spring and summer months, then a diagnosis of hay fever is more likely.

Hay fever or Allergic Rhinitis to give it its proper medical name is a common problem in infants and children but not so common in the very young. Hay fever is an allergy to pollen, such as tree pollens, grasses and weeds. Tree pollens appear in the spring and are followed by grass and flower pollens which can be in the air right through to the autumn. Some people suffer all the way through the season

Allergies do run in certain families and are more common in children that have asthma or eczema. It is also more common in children that are exposed to second hand smoke, air pollution and pets. Having uncontrolled allergies can put your child at risk for getting a secondary sinus infection, ear infections, and for having poor concentration at school. It can also make asthma symptoms worse.

In some cases of allergy it may be possible to reduce the exposure the child receives to the allergen (the thing that causes the allergy). So, for example, if your child is allergic to your family pet, you might want to keep the pet out of certain rooms at home. But as you might expect with hay fever, it's very difficult to change or reduce the pollen levels, especially if you live in the country.

So what can you do to help the situation?

For older babies (generally over one year old) and children, your GP can prescribe an antihistamine syrup and/or eye drops to reduce any inflammation and irritation in the eyes/nose

Limit your child's exposure to known hay fever triggers such as grass and tree pollens, for example, by keeping windows closed and washing her hair after being outside

Keep car windows closed on summer trips and if it has one, check your car's pollen filter regularly

Consider using a HEPA filter to control airborne allergens (these only work if what you are allergic to is airborne, which doesn't include dust mites and mold).

Avoid the use of ceiling fans.

For seasonal allergies, keep windows closed in the home to avoid exposure to pollens and limit outdoor activities when pollen counts are highest (early morning for spring time tree pollens, afternoon and early evening for summer grasses, and in the middle of the day for ragweed in the fall)

Avoid taking your child outside at the start and end of the day when the pollen count is at its highest, and watch local pollen reports on the TV

Buy your child some wrap-around sunglasses and encourage her to wear them

Take your holidays on the coast where the pollen count is usually lower

What Allergy Medications are there?

The medications that are used to control the symptoms of allergic rhinitis include decongestants, antihistamines and steroids. If symptoms are mild, you can use an over the counter medicine as needed. Be careful about using topical decongestants for more than 3-5 days at a time or frequent use of over the counter allergy medicines with antihistamines, as they can cause drowsiness and poor performance in school.

Prescription allergy medications include the newer, non-sedating antihistamines, such as Claritin, Clarinex and Zyrtec (usual dose is 1-2 teaspoons or 1 pill once a day), and topical steroids, such as Nasonex, Beconase, and Nasacort (usual dose is 1-2 squirts in each nostril once each day). If your child's symptoms are well controlled, then you can decrease the dose of the nasal steroid that you are using for 1-2 weeks and then consider trying your child off of it and see how they do. Continue the antihistamine for 1-2 months or until your child's allergy season is over.

Keep in mind that hay fever medication can now be bought over-the-counter in the generic formats of Clarityn® Allergy, Piriteze® Allergy, Zirtek® Allergy and so on; talk to your pharmacist they will be able to advice you on the products that are available for your child. For seasonal allergies, it is best to start using these medicines just before your child's allergy season begins and then continue the medicines every day all through the season. For perennial allergies, your child may need to take these medicines year round.

Your child may also benefit from nasal irrigations using saline nose drops 1-3 times a day. This will help the sinuses drain.

Although food allergies are not a common trigger for hay fever, if you notice that your child's allergy symptoms always get worse after being exposed to certain foods, then you should avoid those foods. The most common foods that can cause allergies include: milk, eggs (especially egg yolks), peanuts, soybeans, tree nuts, seafood, and wheat.

If in doubt about what is causing your child’s symptoms always contact your General Practitioner.