What Charlotte Parents Need to Know About Summer Allergies

While summer break can be exciting for students, there can be stress and anxiety for parents dealing with their children’s seasonal allergies. Pediatric allergies are often dismissed, but allergies in children cause approximately 2 million missed school days each year, according to Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center. Allergy symptoms often present as cold or flu-like symptoms and can linger for weeks. While there is not a way to completely prevent seasonal allergies, knowing allergy triggers is key in helping your child avoid the uncomfortable symptoms and ensure a happy and healthy summer.

What are the Symptoms and Triggers of Pediatric Allergies?
Although allergy symptoms in children vary, many parents confuse allergy symptoms with illness. Allergy symptoms can occur anywhere in the body but most typically present in the ears, eyes, skin, stomach, nose, throat, and lungs. The most common allergy symptoms in children to look out for include …

• Sneezing
• Wheezing or coughing
• Red, itchy, watery eyes
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Itchy ears
• Red, itchy, dry skin
• Hives, rash, welts
• Throat Tightness
• Shortness of breath
• Stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting

The most common allergy triggers include the following; dust, pollen, mold, pets, common chemicals (household cleaners, insect sprays, etc.), latex, medications, cockroaches and other insects (bees, wasps, fire ants, etc.).

Pediatric Allergy Treatment in Charlotte
How are pediatric allergies diagnosed?

Unfortunately, pediatric allergies cannot be cured. Experts say that avoidance is the best treatment and recommend parents take precautions by making a plan with their children. One example of this is shutting your windows during days with high pollen count.

If your child is suffering from allergy symptoms regularly, your pediatrician may also recommend prescribed medications. These may include antihistamines, decongestants (such as tablets, nasal sprays, and eye drops), asthma medications, allergy shots, and/or creams. Medications should always be determined by your child’s doctor and should be customized according to their needs.

Letting allergies go untreated can be dangerous for anyone, especially your child. Untreated allergies can trigger asthma attacks and cause other life-threatening symptoms. Allergies and allergy symptoms are not always recognizable or easy to detect. Many allergies even require testing to identify. If allergies are affecting your child’s quality of life, especially when they should be celebrating summer break, it may be time to see an allergist. To diagnose child allergies, you should talk with your pediatrician or an allergist about performing a skin test or a blood test to identify allergens.

How to Request an Appointment
Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center offers comprehensive evaluation and treatment for pediatric allergies. If you suspect your child has allergies or is experiencing uncomfortable allergy symptoms, you can schedule an appointment by calling the Carolina Asthma office or by filling out the online appointment form on their website. School may be out for summer, but no child — or parent — wants to suffer from cold-like symptoms when they are ready to welcome summer!

Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center
704-372-7900
Locations in Ballantyne, Concord, Cornelius, Eastover, Gastonia, Hickory, Huntersville, Matthews, Monroe, Mooresville, Rock Hill, Shelby, SouthPark, Steele Creek, University, and Waverly
carolinaasthma.com