How to help your kid survive allergy season

Allergy symptoms can make life miserable for adults, but they can be even harder for children to deal with. Recently, a MedTrack Alert editor sat down with allergist Dr. Thomas Glass to discuss ways that parents can help kids cope with seasonal allergies. He practices in Louisville, KY.

MTA: It's spring again, and if the crowd in the waiting room is any indication, it’s a tough one for allergy sufferers, particularly the youngest patients.
Dr. Glass: Here in the Midwest we’re always bombarded by allergens, but this year does seem particularly tough, and kids are always badly hit. Young children often don't know what causes their symptoms, so they aren't able to avoid them the way adults can.


MTA: What advice would you give parents who are trying to get their children through the spring allergy season?
Dr. Glass: First, pay attention to what type of allergies their kids have.

• How frequent are they?
• What are their primary symptoms?

For a child with a runny nose and sneezing, her symptoms may be more easily controlled than a child whose allergies trigger asthma symptoms. That’s something an observant parent can keep an eye on and figure out often more easily than a young child can.

Keeping your kids healthy doesn't require perfection—you can't protect them from every allergen. But small, simple things can help. If your kids play sports or are outside for awhile, make them put their clothes straight into a hamper when they come home, and have them shower or bathe immediately. Keep the house and car windows up, too, so that pollen and other allergens don't blow into the house.

MTA: So keep the outdoors outdoors then?
Dr. Glass: Exactly. And if it's impossible to keep the whole house relatively allergen-free, then concentrate on the child's bedroom. Allergies can wreck havoc on a child's sleep, but a clean, allergy-free environment in the bedroom can give children eight hours of allergy-free sleep each night. That may help alleviate the fallout of bad sleep, such as daytime sleepiness or doing badly in school.
And if those things don't work, it's probably time to see an allergist.


MTA: What’s the benefit of taking a child to an allergist?
Dr. Glass: It's important to realize that taking your child to an allergist does not necessarily mean they need allergy shots. It's an evaluation process. We help parents figure out the easiest and most effective ways of keeping their children symptom-free.

I don't think enough people talk about the social and emotional impact of chronic allergies, either. As adults we forget that dealing with daily sickness can be very hard on children. Allergies and asthma can make kids feel left out—like they can't participate in outdoor sports or play. And it can be embarrassing for children to be stuffed-up or sneezing constantly. Those are particularly difficult situations, and kids who have that kind of allergy or related condition like asthma are not best served by over-the-counter medications, which can make them drowsy or that just don’t cover all of their symptoms.


MTA: What can parents do if they feel that their kids are suffering—not just physically—but with feeling limited or overwhelmed by their allergies?
Dr. Glass:The best thing parents could do is to put the emotional and psychological aspects on the same level of importance as managing symptoms. It helps kids enormously to know that their parents understand how they feel.

And you know, there are ways to ease some allergy-related problems. Maybe parents could get their kids involved in an indoor sport, or maybe it's as easy as making sure that children take their medications before playing outside.

Another good way to handle it is to make sure that kids understand their medications, so they feel they have some control over their illness. Let them help you dose it out. Let them participate in their treatment. There are a lot of studies that show this helps improve kids quality of life.

MTA: So awareness of the child's triggers, along with letting kids participate in their treatment. Those are key ingredients in managing allergies?
Dr. Glass:And consistency. Staying on top of medications even when symptoms seem to have dwindled. Many medications need to be taken even when symptoms aren't present. Keeping kids healthy requires a dedication to helping them manage their medications, and an understanding that as a parent you are your child's best health advocate.

Dr. Thomas Glass is a board certified Allergist and Immunologist who specializes in the treatment of all allergic diseases in Louisville, Kentucky.



by Renee Culver
MedTrack Alert Editor