Causes of Allergy in Children and How to Prevent it

The immune system is tasked to eradicate foreign objects or substances that are considered dangerous, such as germs, viruses, and poisons, when the objects or substances enter the body. However, in people with allergies, the body's immune system overreacts to certain substances or objects that are actually harmless. This condition is quite often experienced by children and the types can vary, for example, peanut allergy, dust allergy, or milk allergy.
Increased Cases of Allergies Worldwide
The incidence of allergic cases in children continues to increase in recent years. A study published in 2019 showed that around 30-40% of people worldwide have allergies and most of these allergic cases are found in children.

The increase in the incidence of allergy cases is thought to be caused by several factors, including heredity or family history of allergies, environmental influences, and eating patterns.

If your child is allergic to a substance, his allergic reaction will recur when he is exposed to the substance. These substances or substances that can trigger allergies are called allergens. Types of allergens in each allergic sufferer can vary. Therefore, you need to know what allergens trigger an allergic reaction in your child to be avoided.

Several Factors That Cause Allergies in Children
The cause of the emergence of allergies is not known with certainty. However, there are a number of factors that are thought to increase a child's risk of developing allergies. One of them is heredity.

Children who have a father or mother with a history of allergic diseases can have an allergic risk of up to 30-50%. If both parents suffer from allergies, then the risk of children experiencing allergies can reach 60-80%.

This happens because of genetic traits in parents that cause the body's immune system to overreact and easily show symptoms of allergies that can be passed on to their children.

Apart from genetic factors, there are other factors that are also thought to increase the risk of children suffering from allergies, such as a dirty environment, air pollution, and certain diseases, such as infectious diseases, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and atopic rhinitis.

There are many types of allergens that can trigger allergic symptoms, including dust, animal dander, insect bites, as well as several types of food and drinks, such as cow's milk, eggs, and nuts.

Allergy symptoms that appear in each child can also vary. Mild allergic symptoms can include itchy and reddish skin, runny nose, or sneezing. Sometimes, allergies in children can also cause diarrhea and vomiting.

Although rare, severe allergic reactions can occur and can be fatal. This severe allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis and can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, until lost consciousness or fainting. Children who experience these symptoms need to be immediately taken to the nearest hospital.

How to Prevent Children Affected by Allergies
Until now, allergies can not be cured. However, there are several ways you can do to prevent your child from developing allergies (especially in children who have an allergic risk and have never experienced allergies), namely:

1. Detect the risk of allergies in children
The main step that can be done by the father and mother to prevent your child from allergies is to determine how much risk is affected by allergies. This step is important so that children do not experience allergic reactions in the future.

As discussed earlier, a child is at risk of developing allergies if both parents have a history of allergies or allergic-related diseases, such as asthma, atopic eczema, and atopic rhinitis.

If Father or Mother has allergies, then your child will likely have allergies too. To be sure, Mother and Father can take your child to the pediatrician to undergo an allergy test.

2. Provide exclusive breastfeeding
Several studies have shown that exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of a child's age can reduce the risk of a child experiencing allergies. This is thanks to the content of nutrients and antibodies in breast milk that can prevent allergic reactions.

3. Give special formula milk
In addition to exclusive breastfeeding, Mother can also give your baby milk that is specially formulated to reduce the risk of allergies in children.

One type of formula milk that is recommended for children who suffer from allergies is formula milk partial hydrolyzate, which is formula milk with a protein content that has been specially processed so as not to trigger an allergic reaction. In addition, the protein content in milk is also more easily digested by children.

When giving formula milk products to Little Babies who have an allergic risk, Mother can choose formula milk which is enriched with synbiotic content, namely probiotics and prebiotics which function to support the growth of good bacteria in the small intestine.

Examples of probiotics that are good for your child are Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve), while prebiotics is usually found in milk containing FOS (fructooligosaccharides) and GOS (galactooligosaccharides).

Synbiotics are not only good for maintaining the health of the digestive tract but also can prevent your child from developing allergies.

4. Give MPASI gradually according to age
The introduction of complementary feeding (MPASI) in infants needs to be done in stages according to their age. If done too early or too late, the risk of allergies in children can increase. Giving MPASI is generally recommended when the baby enters the age of 6 months.

Allergic triggers in each child can be different. Although allergies can be inherited from parents, allergy triggers in children are not necessarily the same as triggers allergies in their parents. To find out what triggers your little allergy, you can take your child to a pediatrician to undergo an allergy test.

If you want to understand more about allergies in children and their prevention, you can ask your pediatrician or take part in health seminars on this topic, for example at the PCAA program or Children's Allergy Preventing Week which is held in commemoration of World Allergy Week.

Events like Children's Allergy Preventing Week are usually filled with people who are competent in their fields that aim to educate parents about allergic prevention early on.

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