Written by Editorial Team
Babies are susceptible to different types of allergies. They can be very sensitive to otherwise harmless things like some ingredients in the food, air, and water. Sometimes the allergy symptoms kick in during a particular season. Babies could also develop an allergy due to harmless pollens or dust mites.
For babies, the signs of allergy like itchy eyes, and runny nose can be upsetting as it will disturb their sleep and activities during the day. Hay fever can also cause these. Continue reading to know more about seasonal allergies that are also called hay fever.
Allergic rhinitis, which is also popularly known as hay fever, is the inflammation that occurs in the lining of nose, throat, and eyes when the body reacts to airborne particles such as pollen. It could be tree pollen, weed pollen or grass pollen. It can also be caused by spores in the air, which are released by the molds. Hay fever is more common during spring. If the allergens include animal fur and dust mites, the symptoms of hay fever will remain round the year.
Children below three years, very rarely develop hay fever mostly because they spend more time indoors. However, babies falling under these groups are more likely to develop hay fever:
A baby with hay fever is more likely to develop asthma and eczema in the near future. It also increases the chances of sinus infection. The baby will be more prone to frequent eye infections because they tend to rub the itchy eyes. There are chances of chronic ear infection due to frequently inflamed lining of the ear canal. It can also lead to bad breath as the baby tends to breathe through the mouth due to a blocked nose.
Pollen and mold, on its own, can cause no harm. However, when an allergic infant inhales pollen or mold spores, their body observes it as a dangerous intruder and responds by releasing histamine and other chemicals. Histamine inflames the lining of the nose, eyes, and throat, developing the symptoms of hay fever.
The symptoms of hay fever appear during the same season in a baby. This is the first indicator that the infant has hay fever. Also, the symptoms of hay fever are found to get worse after the little one plays or spends a lot of time outdoors. It also gets worse on warm sunny days or windy days and during early morning and early evenings (pollen gets released during these hours of the day). Some of the symptoms of hay fever are:
Hay fever, unlike the common cold, will not cause any symptoms of infection like dark yellow discharge from the nose. Instead, the discharge from the nose will be clear and watery and will come with fever, headache, etc. The symptoms will last for weeks or even months until the presence of pollen or spores in the air subside or get reduced considerably.
Usually, diagnosis of hay fever is made based on the symptoms. A family history of hay fever, along with the symptoms, also help in diagnosing hay fever in babies. Sometimes, a Skin Prick Test and a Blood Test are conducted to find out the particular allergen that causes the hay fever in babies.
The treatment option depends on the severity of the allergic reactions. Rather than aiming for a cure, the treatment options focus on relieving the severity of the symptoms of hay fever. Medication and immunotherapy are used in treating hay fever in babies:
Completely preventing your baby from hay fever is not possible. However, avoiding situations where the baby gets exposed to the allergen will help to prevent hay fever or at least reduce its severity in babies to a certain extent. The following preventive measures may help to reduce the severity of the hay fever in babies:
As mentioned earlier, it may not be an easy task to keep the baby away from all the allergens that can cause hay fever. But taking precautions and ensuring cleanliness can certainly reduce the intensity.
Yes, mostly it is. If a parent or close relative has it, the chances of the child getting it, is very high. However, environmental factors can also cause it.
Seasonal allergens like pollens are a trigger. When your child’s eyes or nose come in contact with these allergens, it can trigger hay fever. Air borne pollens are at their peak during spring.
Sadly, no. There are no preventive measures yet. Your child will just have to go through with it.
There is no cure for this at present. The only way to prevent this is to avoid the triggers. Keep your child away from the triggers to reduce risk.
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