Allergies can present in many ways and the Providers at Baby & Child Associates diagnose and treat children daily with allergies. Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance such as pollen, bee venom, pet dander or a food. The severity of allergies varies from person to person and can range from minor irritation to potentially life-threatening emergency. While most allergies can’t be cured, treatments can help relieve your allergy symptoms.

Seasonal allergies occur mostly when pollen counts are high in the air, such as spring time when flowers and trees are blooming – they retreat once the pollen counts drop. Children can display sneezing, congestion and a runny nose. Symptoms can sometimes be reduced by staying indoors on windy days and removing clothes you’ve worn outside and showing to rinse pollen from your skin and hair. Keeping indoor air clean can also help reduce symptoms. Using air conditioning in your house and car and keeping floors vacuumed using a HEPA filter to clear pollens from the air are other ways to help reduce symptoms.

Allergies to other types of environmental substances can be considered chronic or a severe allergic reaction. Chronic allergies are present year-round and generally produce the same symptoms as seasonal allergies.

A severe allergic reaction to a food, bee sting, or medicine can cause anaphylaxis, a life-threating medical emergency which can cause you to go into shock. Signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis include loss of consciousness, a drop in blood pressure, severe shortness of breath, skin rash, lightheadedness, a rapid or weak pulse, nausea and vomiting.

For a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), call 911 or your local emergency number or seek emergency medical help.