With spring just about to settle in for good, many people are preparing for the itchy eyes and endless sneezing that this season is known for. For parents, the first time that their child starts to show signs of allergies, it can look like a cold. After a while, you may notice that the symptoms look less like a cold and more like your standard allergic reaction. If your kiddo has recently started to have symptoms that could be tied to allergies, you absolutely want to start narrowing down the various things that could be setting off these reactions.
In today’s blog, the team at Medics USA in Falls Church is going to cover a few of the indicators that you want to take into consideration when narrowing down the various things that could be affecting your child’s allergies. If after a while you’re still unsure of what it is that’s causing your child’s allergies or symptoms worsen, contact our urgent care facility and schedule a visit with your primary health care professional. For now, let’s go over those key indicators you want to keep an eye on.
Genetics
The first thing to consider is whether you or your spouse have allergies. Children have a 50% chance of having allergies if their parent also has them. If both parents have allergies, those chances raise to 75%. With that being said, consider whether you or your spouse have any known allergies or if you’ve ever struggled with allergy symptoms. If so, it’s pretty likely that your child is struggling with the same allergy.
Time of Day
If genetics aren’t a factor in your child’s allergies, then it’s time to move onto other indicators. Start by making note of the time of day that these symptoms are showing up. There are millions of things that can cause an allergic reaction, and when you have to account every item that one comes in contact with during a day, it can be overwhelming and difficult. Rather, make a note of when symptoms occur and keep track to see if there is any consistency with when these symptoms arise.
Track these symptoms for anywhere between a couple of days and a week. If you notice that there is a specific time that these symptoms arise, it’s time to break down that window of time to better determine what’s causing the allergies.
Indoor vs. Outdoor
So you’ve narrowed down a window of time that these allergies are happening, but there’s still a bit of investigating that needs to be done. Now that you have that window of time, it’s time to determine where these allergies are taking place. Start with the bigger picture; are these symptoms happening when they’re indoors or outdoors?
Allergies that are flaring up outdoors are often related to pollen, cotton, or something similar. These allergies are most commonly seasonal with every particular allergen having a different season. It may take a year or two for you to determine when your child’s allergy season begins and tapers off, but you will eventually be able to predict which days allergies will be worse on and which will be more manageable.
On the other hand, indoor allergens are often tied to a specific thing that can often be removed from the equation to optimize your child’s comfort level. If their symptoms arise when at home, consider whether they’re around a pet, if it’s particularly dusty (or when the last time you changed the air filter was), or if there are any objects that they’re interacting with often. Again, if there is a consistency, you can start to narrow down what the item that’s causing the reaction is.
Symptoms
The last thing that you want to take into consideration is their symptoms. This is where things can get a little tricky because symptoms will vary from allergy to allergy and person to person. Depending on what it is that your child is allergic to, you may see symptoms stick around for days or, in worst-case scenarios, months. Even so, you’re going to want to check your child’s symptoms and write them down. Do they have hives? Is their throat itchy? Are their eyes red and watery? Whatever it may be, write their symptoms down! Though you may not be able to immediately determine what they’re allergic to based on this information, a medical professional will appreciate this insight and can better narrow down potential allergens.
Visit Medics USA
With allergy season coming up, it can be difficult to determine if your child’s struggling with an end of season cold or if they’re struggling with allergies at the beginning of this high-pollen season. If you’re not entirely sure what’s causing your child’s runny nose, stop into Medics USA in Falls Church or contact our office and schedule an appointment, and a member of our team would be more than happy to provide you with an exam and some additional information.
