CHILDREN’S HEALTH: HAY FEVER
Symptoms: Nasal congestion, sneezing, clear nasal discharge, itchy nose, pale membranes, inside nose, headache, slight hearing loss, blue bags under eyes, fatigue.
Home care:
Try to keep the child away from the substances responsible for the allergic reaction.
Have the child sleep on a non-allergenic pillow.
The use of air conditioners or dehumidifiers can help remove allergy-causing substances from your home, as can filters on hot air ducts.
Consult your doctor before giving the child medications for hay fever.
Precautions:
- Antihistamines and decongestants can help relieve the child’s allergic reaction but should only be given on a doctor’s recommendation.
- Non-allergenic rubber pillows may breed molds as they age.
- The dander of a cat or dog allowed into the house only once can remain for weeks.
- Hay fever rarely occurs as a reaction to foods, drinks, or medications.
- Hay fever can be followed by bacterial infection indicated by fever, earache, swollen neck glands, or thick nasal discharge.
- A child with severe hay fever may need a series of injections to make him or her less sensitive to the allergy-causing substances.
Hay fever is an allergic reaction of the membranes of the nose and sinuses to substances inhaled out of the air. When it occurs only during a particular time of the year (seasonal allergies), hay fever is usually due to pollens of trees, grasses, or weeds. (Pollens of flowers are usually too heavy to be airborne or inhaled.)
When hay fever occurs year-round (perennial allergies), it may be due to animal dander (tiny scales from the skin of an animal). The reaction may be to dander from a cat, dog, horse, or cow. Horse or cow dander may be present in some felt under-padding of carpeting that contain horse or cow hair. Hay fever is not usually caused by a reaction to dander from guinea pigs, hamsters, or mice. It can, however, be caused by house dust, molds, and feathers from pillows, eiderdowns, or pet birds. Hay fever is rarely a reaction to foods, beverages, or medications.
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