{"id":2626,"date":"2023-04-24T11:52:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T15:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/?page_id=2626"},"modified":"2023-04-24T11:52:01","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T15:52:01","slug":"pediatric-allergies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/pediatric-allergies\/","title":{"rendered":"Pediatric Allergies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Allergy and sinus conditions are common in children, whose sinuses\u00a0continue to develop<\/a>\u00a0well into the teen years. Allergy and sinus symptoms are similar, making a proper diagnosis a bit challenging. An ENT specialist can recommend diagnostic testing to help pinpoint the cause of what is ailing your child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common Causes of Child Allergies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When allergies are to blame, the immune system responds to a perceived threat by flooding the bloodstream with chemicals called histamines, which attack the offending substance but cause inflammation and swelling of the airways in the process. Common allergy triggers include pollen, mold, animal dander, dust mites, chemicals, medications, and certain foods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Pediatric Sinusitis and Allergies Related?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pediatric sinusitis is usually the result of cold viruses and may be aggravated by allergies. It can be either acute (short-term) or chronic (lasting longer than 12 weeks and recurring frequently). Distinguishing whether your child\u2019s symptoms are the result of allergies or a sinus condition is the key to successful treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allergy Symptoms in Children<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms of allergy and sinus conditions include runny nose, sneezing, stuffiness, coughing, sore throat, wheezing, headaches, snoring or itchy eyes (these may also be watery) or nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to a physical examination, your child\u2019s doctor will carefully inspect the ears, nose and throat for signs of infection. Skin and blood tests will likely be administered to determine whether an allergen trigger is responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treating Allergies in Children<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When your child is diagnosed with allergies and avoiding the allergen trigger isn\u2019t possible, treatment consists of various medications. These include antihistamines, decongestants, nasal corticosteroid sprays, eye drops and prescription drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Severe cases that don\u2019t respond to medical treatment may require immunotherapy, usually delivered through weekly injections (i.e., allergy shots). This enables the body to build up a tolerance to the allergen over time, bringing long-term symptom relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pediatric Sublingual Immunotherapy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SLIT, or sublingual immunotherapy, is an increasingly popular method of treating allergies. It is like immunotherapy (allergy shots), but the medicine is taken orally. It\u2019s ideal for pediatric patients whose allergies most likely haven\u2019t progressed to an advanced stage and can help prevent asthma in some patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is the Purpose of Sublingual Immunotherapy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The goal of SLIT is to enable the body to build up a tolerance to a specific allergen by introducing it through controlled doses over time. Gradually the size of the dosage is increased, and the immune system becomes less sensitive to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Pediatric Sublingual Immunotherapy Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sublingual immunotherapy presents strong results for children with allergies. Studies show that SLIT not only decreases the immunological response to allergens, but it prevents the onset of new allergic reactions and, as previously stated, has been shown to limit the onset of asthma in patients who suffer from allergic rhinitis. From a safety standpoint, SLIT is a better choice for children because traditional allergy shots carry a risk of severe side effects in younger patients. Additionally, the medication consists of drops that are kept under the tongue for a minute or two and then swallowed, so one can easily manage home-based treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Benefits Most from Sublingual Immunotherapy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Children suffering from allergies (hay fever, dust mites, animal dander, etc.) that are unresponsive to medical treatment are good candidates for SLIT. The first step involves finding out which allergen is triggering your child\u2019s immune response. Once identified through allergy skin testing, an extract is prepared in drop form to be taken daily. The full course of treatment lasts three to five years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Allergy and sinus conditions are common in children, whose sinuses\u00a0continue to develop\u00a0well into the teen years. Allergy and sinus symptoms are similar, making a proper diagnosis a bit challenging. An ENT specialist can recommend diagnostic testing to help pinpoint the cause of what is ailing your child. Common Causes of Child Allergies When allergies are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2626"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2626\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spartanburgent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}