Is Your Child Dealing With Allergies?

Find out how to best manage your child’s allergy symptoms.

Childhood allergies are actually pretty common. In fact, as many as 50 million Americans, including children, have some kind of allergy. Whether your little one is allergic to hay fever during the spring and summer months or they are dealing with food allergies, our Clearwater and Westchase, FL, pediatricians are here to provide the care and support you and your child need to get their allergies under control.

What are the different kinds of allergies?

There are a lot of things that surround us that can cause an allergic reaction, but the most common allergens tend to be:

• Pollen (also known as hay fever)
• Dust mites
• Mold
• Cockroaches
• Pet dander
• Foods (often eggs, shellfish, wheat, and nuts)
• Medications
• Chemicals
• Insect bites or stings

What are the symptoms of an allergy?

If your child has an airborne allergy (e.g. pollen; mold) then you may find that they experience symptoms such as:

• Red, itchy, or watery eyes (this can also be a symptom of conjunctivitis)
• Itchy nose
• Scratchy throat
• Stuffy nose
• Sneezing
• Coughing

If your child is allergic to certain medications, foods, or insect bites/stings, symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening. If your child begins wheezing, is having trouble breathing or experiences lightheadedness it’s important that you seek emergency medical attention right away. Other symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, hives, and a stomachache should also be evaluated by our Clearwater and Westchase children’s doctors if they are reoccurring.

Of course, you won’t know whether your child’s symptoms are due to allergies or not unless you bring them in for testing. The sooner we figure out what allergies your child has the sooner we will be able to provide an individualized treatment plan for them.

Clearwater Pediatric Care and Westchase Pediatric Care in Clearwater and Westchase, FL, are here to help your little one find the relief they need from their allergy symptoms. If you suspect your child might have allergies call our office today to schedule an appointment with us.