One of the manifestations of allergies in babies can be the development of conjunctivitis. Especially often it develops in crumbs in the first year of life. Vivid symptoms of the disease cause severe discomfort to the baby. Failure to provide assistance can lead to life-threatening complications.
How is it developing?
The start of inflammation begins after exposure to a provoking factor. For this disease, such a provocateur is any foreign substance - an allergen. Children's allergic reactions are quite acute and rapid. All clinical symptoms may appear within a few hours after the onset of the disease.
Most often, allergic conjunctivitis occurs upon contact with pollen or the flowering of various plants. The peak incidence is observed in spring and summer. Every second child with a tendency to allergic reactions may experience an aggravation during flowering. The disease develops very quickly. Literally, in a few hours from the moment of exposure to the allergen, the first clinical manifestations of the disease appear.
Another no less common cause of allergic conjunctivitis is intolerance to certain foods. If the baby is allergic to citrus fruits or seafood, then he may also experience all the symptoms characteristic of an inflammatory eye disease. This is due to the rapid spread of inflammation throughout the body.
In a much smaller number of cases, allergic conjunctivitis in children can develop from inhalation of vapors of various chemicals. Dr. Komarovsky notes that the most common cause of these forms of disease can be contact with adhesives. Children attending educational institutions are not immune to the development of such an allergic reaction.
Babies who cannot tolerate household dust or household dust mites may develop allergic conjunctivitis while sleeping or simply in the crib. The fact is that ticks very often live in pillows. If you do not regularly carry out special disinfecting treatment, they can multiply very quickly and lead to the development of real allergic reactions. This is especially true for infants and newborns.
In the summertime, stings of bees, wasps and various other insects can be sources of allergies. The poison that they release upon contact is very dangerous for a small organism. A huge amount of biologically active substances contained in it in a short time causes the entire cascade of allergic reactions in a baby. Symptoms come on quickly and require immediate attention.
All allergic reactions (regardless of the provocative factor) have common clinical manifestations... In babies of different ages, they can manifest themselves in slightly different ways. In weakened and newborn children, allergies are usually much brighter and more severe. For babies with a good level of immunity, the disease can be mild and fairly well controlled.
Main symptoms and signs
When an allergy occurs in a child, conjunctivitis develops quickly enough. This unfavorable disease causes a lot of discomfort in the baby. As a rule, no more than 24 hours pass from the moment the provoking factor enters the development of the inflammatory process in the eyes.
The most common symptoms of conjunctivitis are:
- Severe redness. The smallest vessels of the eye protrude strongly due to the inflammatory process. In severe cases, even hemorrhage in the eye may occur, but this is quite rare. The affected eye does not look good with eyelid edema. The process is two-way. Damage to only one eye with allergic conjunctivitis does not happen.
- Sensation of "grit" in the eyes or a foreign body... The most common symptom of conjunctivitis. The kid, feeling a foreign object in his eye, tries to blink more often to remove it. This only brings the child a temporary improvement.
- Severe lacrimation. It occurs throughout the day. In allergic conjunctivitis, as a rule, the discharge is light and excreted in large quantities. There is no pus in the classic version of the disease. Suppuration develops only when an infectious bacterial flora joins the allergic process.
- Swelling of the eyelids. The allergic process captures not only the mucous membrane, but all structures of the eye as a whole. The eyelids are very swollen and swollen. It becomes difficult for babies to open and close their eyes. Attempts to do this bring severe pain.
- Distinctive appearance. In a child with an allergic reaction, facial features change greatly. It becomes puffy, with a red tint. Severely overhanging, puffy eyelids give the expression a sullen look. In some cases, the lips and tongue may also swell. With this development of the disease, the baby needs to be treated immediately. If the child's face is swollen, urgently call an ambulance.
- Behavior change. Babies with an acute period become very lethargic, refuse their favorite dishes. The habitual activities that brought them joy are no longer enjoyable. Kids cry, are capricious. Little children are more likely to ask for "hands".
All symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis occur at approximately the same time. In a few hours, the clinical manifestations of the disease increase manifold. If the baby is not helped in time, the consequences can be dangerous and even life threatening. In many cases, an immediate diagnosis and treatment is required.
What tests are needed?
The most common signs of conjunctivitis allow doctors to quickly and correctly make an accurate diagnosis. However, in the case of an allergic reaction and the development of an inflammatory eye disease, additional laboratory tests are required.
One of the most important is a complete blood count. This routine test helps to determine the severity of the disease. Severe eosinophilia (an increase in the level of eosinophils) indicates the development of an allergic reaction. This simple (but informative) test can distinguish allergies from bacterial or viral conjunctivitis.
To establish which allergen is responsible for the development of the disease, additional laboratory tests are required. This method can be used only after the acute process subsides. This is usually in 2-3 weeks. Most often, allergists use scarification tests.
In this case, small incisions are made on the skin with a small sharp object and a few drops of various allergens are added. If the baby has an allergic reaction to some external factor, then there will be moderate redness in the place of such a scratch. The doctor analyzes the results and can determine which allergen is dangerous for the child. The procedure is painless and safe. Conducted for kids of different ages.
One of the most informative tests today is a serological blood test. In this case, venous blood is taken from the child for examination. Results are usually ready in 3-5 days. A laboratory test with a 95-98% probability will show a child's tendency to allergies caused by a specific external factor. Almost all allergens that exist today can be tested in this way.
A complex of all diagnostic measures is a prerequisite for clarifying the cause that causes an allergic reaction. In the future, knowing the source of the disease, it is much easier to prevent and treat it. Therapy for allergic processes should be carried out immediately. Any delay can multiply the development of complications that are dangerous for the baby's life.
Treatment
To eliminate the symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis, the appointment of a whole complex of therapeutic measures is required at once. If the child has the first signs of allergy, it is worth starting treatment in the first minutes.
When treating conjunctivitis, the following therapeutic measures are required:
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- Elimination of contact with the provoking factor, if possible. In case of an insect bite, the sting must be removed. It is better to do this at the emergency room. If the situation does not allow, and you are in places very far from medical institutions, try to do it yourself.
- During flowering, be sure to flush the baby's eyes after walking. It is not at all necessary to use special medicines. You can rinse your eyes with a decoction of chamomile or plain cooled boiled water. With a clean cotton pad, swipe from the outer corner of the eye to the inner corner. Use clean cotton wool for each side. For older children, after each visit to the street, simply wash under running water.
- Use of special antihistamines. Today they can be produced in various forms. Eye drops are most commonly used in the treatment of conjunctivitis. Doctors prescribe them to drip into each eye (for 7-10 days). Healing eye drops help to get rid of lacrimation and itching in a short time.
- In severe forms of the disease, when the general condition of the baby is greatly deteriorating, the appointment of hormonal agents is required. As a rule, such medicines are administered by emergency doctors (or emergency rooms) through injections. Don't be afraid of hormones! The dose used by experts is not dangerous and cannot harm the baby in any way. The use of hormonal agents is necessary in case of severe angioedema or the development of adverse complications.
- Appointment of a therapeutic hypoallergenic diet. For all babies with a tendency to allergic reactions, doctors recommend adherence to such nutrition throughout their lives, and not only in the acute period. Avoiding foods that trigger allergies helps prevent new cases of the disease. A diet rich in protein and essential substances for life helps to strengthen the immune system and positively affects the growth of the child.
- Eye wash. It is used in every case of treatment of eye allergic diseases. The procedure should be repeated at least 2-3 times a day. If the baby has severe lacrimation, then you can rinse the eyes much more often - as needed.
- Correct daily routine. During the acute period of the disease, the baby should not be given pronounced loads. It is better for him to sleep more and gain strength. During the day's rest, the work of the hormonal and immune systems is normalized in babies, the symptoms of an allergic reaction decrease. When a child closes his eyes, the aggressive effect of sunlight on the inflamed mucosa is weakened.
Prevention
For the prevention of allergic conjunctivitis, it is important to prevent possible contact of the allergen with the child's body. If a child has a pronounced allergy to flowering plants or pollen, it is better to travel outside the city to those regions where this period has already passed. Often, kids from central Russia leave with their parents to the south. In the southern regions, flowering begins earlier. Such a change in the climatic zone will prevent the possible onset of an allergic reaction.
For babies with an already established cause of allergies, you can resort to a fairly new method of treatment - SIT therapy.
Using this method, you can train children's immunity, make it resistant to a specific allergen. Special solutions of allergens (in very low concentrations) are introduced into the baby's body. Over time, the immune system begins to actively recognize them. With new contacts in real life, the child does not develop adverse symptoms of an allergic reaction.
Strengthening the immune system is also an important preventive measure. Correct hypoallergenic diet, walking in the fresh air can activate the immune system, restoring the body. For young toddlers, daily walks are a must.
Compliance with a hypoallergenic diet is also an important preventive method. In such a diet, all products that have a pronounced sensitizing effect on the child's body are completely excluded.... The Council of Pediatricians has developed special tables in which all products are divided into several categories: highly allergenic, hypoallergenic and neutral. The diet includes all the basic principles of nutritional therapy and is ideal for all babies, regardless of age.
The implementation of the entire complex of therapeutic measures will allow, in a fairly short time, to eliminate the unfavorable symptoms of the disease and return the baby to the usual way of life. In the future, only the implementation of preventive measures will help prevent the development of new exacerbations of an allergic reaction. These recommendations should be followed throughout life.
Dr. Komarovsky will tell you more about allergic conjunctiva in children in the video below.
