Allergy – The Atopic Trid
By editor | February 25, 2008
Allergy symptoms vary, depending on what parts of the body are affected. Many children have allergies in three areas the skin, lungs, and nose. When this occurs, it is called the atopic triad. But allergies in children tend to move from one area of the body to another. About 10 to 15 percent of all youngsters develop allergies in their skin (atopic dermatitis, also called eczema) during infancy and early childhood. Atopic dermatitis is a very itchy red rash that comes and goes. Many children outgrow this allergy by age five to eight, only later to develop hay fever or other allergies in their noses. About half of all children with atopic dermatitis also develop asthma.
Allergic rhinitis can affect as many as 40 percent of all children at some point in their lives. Although the name hay fever suggests that it occurs only during the “allergy season” of spring and fall, many children have symptoms year round. That’s because allergic rhinitis is caused not only by plant pollen but also by many other allergens that are ever present in the air, such as mold spores, animal dander, and dust.
Allergic rhinitis is a major reason for missed school days. Symptoms alone can be severe enough to keep a child home, but children with allergic rhinitis are also more likely to develop other problems, including ear infections (otitis media), inflamed sinuses around the nose (sinusitis), red, watery, itchy eyes (allergic conjunctivitis), as well as asthma.
Allergic rhinitis and asthma go hand in hand because both are inflammatory diseases with the same underlying cause. Because the linings of the upper airways the nose, sinuses, mouth, and throat are connected to the linings of the airways in the lungs, they are affected by the same things and respond in similar ways.
Almost 80 percent of children with asthma also have allergic rhinitis, and close to 40 percent of those with allergic rhinitis also have asthma. So it’s clear that treating allergic rhinitis to reduce the swelling in the nose and upper airways can help reduce swelling in the lower airways. By using proper medicine to treat allergic rhinitis and by avoiding allergens whenever possible, children can have fewer asthma symptoms and flares.
Tagged under:allergic conjunctivitis allergic rhinitis allergy allergy symptoms Asthma atopic dermatitis eczema hay fever itchy eyes lungs otitis media sinusitis
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