Paediatric allergy
Allergy symptoms in children
Allergic reactions can be mild, however others can be severe and lead to anaphylaxis. Symptoms typically affect the skin, the respiratory system and the gut.
If your child has allergies, they may show signs such as:
- A runny nose or sneezing
- Red, itchy or watery eyes
- Itchy skin or hives (a rash with a raised appearance)
- Coughing, wheezing or breathlessness
- Swelling, especially around the eyes, lips, mouth and throat
- Diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting
If you are concerned that your child is having a severe allergic reaction, call 999 immediately.
Our allergy testing services for children
We want to help you identify what’s causing your child’s symptoms fast and rule out anything serious. Our comprehensive range of allergy tests includes:
- Skin prick testing: This is usually the first test we carry out, as it’s a quick and an effective way of testing for common allergens your child might eat or inhale.
- Spirometry/FeNO: To look at allergic inflammation and lung function.
- IgE blood tests: Immunoglobin (IgE) is an antibody that fights foreign bodies. Measuring your child’s IgE levels allows us to see if they’re elevated generally or whether they rise in relation to specific allergens.
- A food challenge: The only true way to know if your child will react to a certain food is to give them a small amount of it in a controlled setting, under the care of our specialist clinical nurses.
- A drug challenge: Similar to the food challenge, this test checks for reactions to medications that are known to cause reactions in some children.
We might also ask you to keep a food diary to help us understand what triggers your child’s allergies. Keeping a food diary and taking photos where possible can support your child’s diagnostics and by helping us to paint a wider and more detailed picture of their condition.
How we treat allergies in children
If an allergen isn’t identified or properly managed it can lead to anything from a sniffle to anaphylaxis, so our specialists will work with you to create a plan for treating and managing your child’s allergies.
This might include prescription medication such as antihistamines, AAI (adrenaline autoinjectors) and inhalers while also making a plan to manage allergens in the community.
HELPING TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN
Allergies are extremely common from a young age
About 40% of all children in the UK are affected in some way by allergies. An allergic reaction happens when your child’s immune system overreacts to a particular substance - common triggers include dust mites, pollen, pets and food such as dairy, eggs or peanuts as well as certain drugs and latex.
If you are concerned that your child has an allergy, our paediatric allergy specialists can support you with comprehensive testing and diagnosis and work with you to create an allergy management plan. They also offer a desensitisation service to help manage allergic rhinitis symptoms.
What allergies can we test for? How do we test for them? And, more importantly, does it hurt? Meet Artie, Nkanyezi, Reeva and Priya as they go behind the scenes to get answers to these all-important questions from Professor Helen Brough and Clinical Nurse Specialist Mel Davies.
Our paediatric allergy facilities
Our paediatric allergy clinics are based in a specialist paediatric outpatient clinic at The Portland Hospital.
If you would like your child to be seen, please get in touch to book an appointment.
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.