This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Maria Streck about environmental allergies in children. Dr. Streck is a Clinical Instructor of Allergy and Immunology and pediatric and adult allergist and immunologist at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. It's estimated that 20% of children in the U.S. have environmental allergies. Doctor Maria Streck is here to talk about the details. Doctor Streck is a Clinical Instructor of Allergy and Immunology, and she's an adult and pediatric allergist and immunologist at MUSC. Doctor Streck what are the most common indoor and outdoor environmental allergens for children?
Dr. Streck: For both children and adults, the most common indoor allergens would be mold, dust mites, in addition to things like cats and dogs, if you have pets in the house. For the outdoor allergens, the more common ones would be tree pollens, grass pollens, and weed pollens.
Conner: And what are the typical symptoms of these airborne allergies, especially in children, including young children.
Dr. Streck: So, the things that we typically see would be things like sneezing, nasal congestion, drainage, so either the nose or postnasal drainage, sometimes some cough, accompanying itchy watery eyes.
Conner: And at what age might a child develop some of these types of allergies?
Dr. Streck: We typically don't see seasonal allergies develop to the child a little bit older. So, kind of the early elementary school years is when that comes about. The reason being they need to be exposed through several seasons to develop the allergy to it. So when you're born, you're not going to have allergies. And then with exposure that can develop for the indoor allergens where they're having constant exposure, such as with pets or mold or dust mites, that can be presented younger. There's not a specific age at which we test, or we say, like, you have allergies, you don't. It's kind of based on the symptoms of the child. And then we proceed with testing to figure it out.
Conner: And do these types of allergies typically run in families?
Dr. Streck: We frequently see that there is a family history of allergies in one or both parents.
Conner: How can a parent tell if their child has an allergy versus just frequent colds, especially in those younger years?
Dr. Streck: Yes. So, it's often a dilemma trying to figure out allergy versus cold, especially when kids are in daycare. So, they're exposed to a lot of germs and getting colds, frequently sneezing, congestion, drainage. Those are all symptoms of colds and allergies. Allergies typically don't have any fever associated with it, so that and especially if there's some type of exposure. A cold is usually kind of more short lived. So, you'll see a discrete period of time, 1 to 2 weeks, where they'll have a cold and it gets better. Where the allergies are usually more persistent depending on the exposure.
Conner: Is allergy testing important for children with suspected airborne allergies?
Dr. Streck: We do feel it's very important because it helps identify what the allergic triggers are. And then importantly, if they do have allergies, how to avoid those exposures.
Conner: And how can these allergies best be managed or treated in children?
Dr. Streck: We look at it kind of as like a threefold approach. One is avoid the things you're allergic to, which comes into play of why it's important to do the testing and identify what the triggers are. So, avoidance measures. And then next step is medications. The goal, of course, in anybody is what's the least amount of medicines to control your symptoms. And then allergy shots are an option as well, not in very young children. But usually ages 5 or 6 and up depending on the child, we start talking about doing allergy shots as well.
Conner: And do children ever outgrow their allergies or do their symptoms change over time?
Dr. Streck: Symptoms can definitely change over time. Once you're sensitized to something, usually they continue to have that allergy. But as they grow, especially children through puberty, sometimes we see some changes into adulthood. Also, if they change environments, so move to a different city, different house, that definitely can change their exposures and change their allergy profile.
Conner: Doctor Streck, thanks for talking with us about allergies in children.
Dr. Streck: Thank you for having me.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
