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What is a spring allergy?
Spring allergies peak between April and June. They can even last until September. It is an allergy to tree pollens, grasses and molds. It most often appears from 4-5 years old.
How to recognize a spring allergy?
Initially, these are the same symptoms as a good cold. Constantly runny nose, frequent sneezing, an itchy sensation in the nose, throat, and sometimes a small irritating cough. In addition, your child keeps rubbing his eyes. More rarely, a rash appears on the face and hands (hives). Above all, this sudden cold persists. No doubt: “hay fever” has struck again.
What advice to avoid contact with the allergen?
During pollination, avoid mowing the lawn when the child is outside, do not let it roll around in the grass, but spread it out on a blanket and make sure it stays there. Before going for a walk, also find out about pollen activity in your region, on the website of the National Aerobiological Surveillance Network (). Some days the allergic child will be much better at home. After several hours outside, make him take a shower when returning home to get rid of the pollen accumulated during the day.
How can you be sure that a child is allergic?
If the doctor suspects an allergy, he can confirm his diagnosis by prick-tests : it deposits a drop of each suspected allergen on the skin of the forearm or back. 15 to 20 minutes later, if a papule appears at the site of the injection, the test is positive.
>>> To read also: How to help your child to cope better with his allergy?
What are the treatments for a spring allergy?
An antihistamine. The first year, the allergist prescribes symptomatic treatment to relieve the child: an antihistamine (syrup or oral suspension), eye drops to treat conjunctivitis and an anti-allergic or corticosteroid-based nasal spray. The child should take them every day during the pollen season. In the majority of cases, the symptoms subside.
In case of asthma. If these treatments are not enough, and the child cannot sleep, the doctor may prescribe cortisone for a few days to reduce the inflammation. If the little patient has asthma attacks, aerosols of betamimetics will dilate his bronchi and relieve his respiratory discomfort quickly. Between attacks, he should continue to take a DMARD with anti-inflammatory drugs and, if necessary, a bronchodilator.
Desensitization. The following year, if the child is at least 5 years old, the allergist will suggest desensitization: a few drops or an allergen spray every morning under the tongue, from January until the end of the summer season. pollens. To give good results and hope that the allergy will disappear, this desensitization must be repeated for three to five years.