Rashes on tender baby skin are very often the cause of parents' anxiety - suddenly the baby has an allergy? As for children under one year, the term "allergy" and "diathesis" (it should be emphasized that these words are not synonymous, diathesis is the child's tendency to allergies), the slightest rash or redness of the skin is mistaken. Such a reaction is a consequence of an insufficiently formed digestive system and a lack of enzymes, sometimes it can arise because of incorrect introduction of new products, the presence of parasites in the intestine or dysbiosis. A real food allergy in children up to a year is found in only 15% of cases, therefore, experts advise doing an analysis only to confirm or refute the diagnosis delivered by the doctor.
The presence of allergies in the child should be considered in case there is a hereditary predisposition. To date, it is easy to identify it by submitting an analysis of allergens in children. This can be done in almost any large laboratory.
There are probably two options for analyzing allergens in children:
- a blood test for allergens. The indicator in this case is the presence of antibodies in the blood. The more active the allergen, the more they will be developed. The main thing that should be remembered in preparation for this analysis is that the child should be absolutely healthy, otherwise false reactions are possible, since the concentration of antibodies in the blood with the disease is already high;
- cutaneous allergic test in children. It is done in the following way - on slightly injured skin of the forearm, allergens are applied in small amounts and during half an hour they observe the reaction. The test does not fit too much for people and children under three years old. When it is carried out, again, there should not be any inflammatory processes in the body.
In addition to the state of health, the reliability of the results of the analysis on the detection of an allergen is affected by breastfeeding. That is, if a child eats mother's milk, then it is premature to do the analysis - it can be false-positive, since the child's body contains antibodies that he received from his mother.
It is necessary to make a test for sensitivity to allergens if:
- the child suffered anaphylactic shock after biting a stinging insect;
- when it is necessary to confirm food allergy revealed independently by imposing restrictions on the child's diet;
- when it is necessary to be convinced of a weakening of an allergy and efficiency of treatment;
- if it is necessary to confirm an allergy to vaccines, which has been identified by experience.
The development of an allergic reaction can provoke various factors. Most often there is a food allergy. However, before you run to the laboratory at the slightest suspicion, you can try yourself to conduct a small test.
How to identify a food allergen in a child at home?
Because the baby's diet is not too diverse, it's easy enough to do. When the rash appears, you need to remove the likely allergen from the diet. Most often it can be cow's milk, soy, products containing gluten, eggs, honey, fish and seafood. If the rash passes over time, you probably have correctly excluded the product. Next, you need to make a control test, say, to give the child milk. If he has a rash again, then it is likely that it is milk that causes allergies. To confirm the hypothesis, you should take a blood test for food allergens.
Also common among children is the allergy to flower pollen, house dust and wool of domestic animals. In order to identify this, it is necessary to give a general analysis for allergens.