SPRING ALLERGIES

Spring brings with it flowers, blossoming trees and….allergies.  Some children will have yearly problems with allergies; others are only bothered periodically.  Although the symptoms vary from person to person, they often include some degree of itchy, red, watery eyes, nasal congestion, cough and sometimes wheezing. 

There are several options for treatment of seasonal allergies.  The most important part of the treatment is removing the pollen when your child comes indoors.  You should wash off your child’s face with a clean washcloth with cool water.  The hair and hands should also be washed and the clothing worn outside removed. 

If your child has itchy, watery, red eyes, they may be helped by eye drops, some of which are over-the-counter (such as Visine-A, Bausch & Lomb Allergy Eye Drops, Occuhist, Naphcon A).  These allergy eye drops work by constricting the blood vessels of the eyes.  Some also contain an antihistamine to relieve the itching. There are also prescription eyedrops which are used both for treatment and prevention of allergic conjunctivitis.

For persistent eye symptoms and to treat the concurrent nasal symptoms, you may need an oral medication.  Several medications are now over-the-counter.  These are long-acting antihistamines, such as non-sedating Claritin or the other brands of loratidine, Allegra (fexofenadine)  or Zyrtec, which may cause some sedation.  These can be given on a daily basis during allergy season or on an as needed basis. 

If these treatments are not helping, you should call us for your child to be seen.  We might prescribe an alternate prescription antihistamine or a nasal spray containing a local steroid.  We do not recommend using over-the-counter nasal sprays or drops (other than plain saline drops); these may actually worsen the symptoms.  If your child is wheezing and you have not treated them for wheezing in the past, you should call us.

If despite all our treatments, your child is having persistent symptoms, he or she may need to avoid being outdoors during windy days when the pollen count is high.  We also may recommend an allergist to determine exactly what he or she is allergic to in order to avoid that particular exposure.



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