Common Child Allergy Triggers

What Causes An Allergy In Children?

The mechanics of child allergies are not completely understood; it is not entirely possible to tell why some substances cause an allergic reaction in a given child while another is completely unaffected. There are a few basics things that are understood in terms of the mechanics of child allergies, though.

• Allergies are abnormal physical reactions to a specific substance or substances
• A child with an allergy to a specific substance (the child's allergy trigger(s)) will react to an amount of that substance that most people would find harmless
• Over time, increased exposure to an allergen causes the affected child's body to produce excessive amounts of the immune antibody Immunoglobulin, or IgE
• IgE reacts with allergens (triggers)
• The IgE/allergen reaction causes the body to release histamines and body chemicals into cell tissues
• Presence of histamines and chemicals in cell tissues produce allergic reactions, or allergy symptoms

In short, allergic reactions are functionally normal immune system responses to harmful substances (individual child allergy triggers); the only exception is that the subject child allergy triggers should not be viewed by the immune system as harmful, and thus should not elicit a response.

The Most Common Child Allergy Triggers

Most children with allergies react to one or more common allergy triggers; there are also children with hypersensitivities and less common, even extremely rare, child allergy triggers, so this list should by no means be considered exhaustive.

The list of common child allergy triggers is comprised of very normal, everyday environmental, natural, chemical, and food substances. Part of the reason for this is because most allergies come on over time with continued exposure to an allergen, and so those very common substances that people are around have greater potential to become child allergy triggers. The regular substances which account for the most common allergies include

• Pollens—from trees, flowers, grasses, and weeds; a child can be allergic to just one specific type of pollen from one plant, or to several types of pollens (pollen allergies are what is often referred to as "Hay Fever")
• Molds—either household molds growing in damp reaches of the home or mold found free-floating in outdoor air; the actual mold child allergy trigger is the mold spore, which is often released when the mold dries out, so even dried and seemingly dead/dying mold can present a danger to a child with a mold allergy
• Dust—or more accurately, dust mites; dust mites can irritate air passageways when inhaled and cause allergic reactions similar to Hay Fever. Dust mites feed on dust and dead skin, so where there is more dust, there are more dust mites which can trigger child allergies.
• Animals—animal dander and/or saliva can be child allergy triggers; any animal's saliva or dander can be an allergen, but most commonly the culprits are horses, rabbits, cats, and dogs. The problem is not really the animal's hair or fur, but animal hair goes hand in hand with offending dander.
• Chemicals and detergents—a long list of household and industrial chemicals used in beauty products, cosmetics, and cleaning products can be child allergy triggers. Likewise, soaps and detergents (including laundry detergents) can be child allergy triggers.
• Ingested items—this includes foods and medications. The most commonly offensive foods are milk/dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, soy, fish and shellfish, wheat, and peas. The most common allergenic medications are penicillin, aspirin, and sulfa drugs.
• Insects—in reality, the venom from insect bites and stings; bees (of a variety of types) are common child allergy triggers—bee stings can cause very severe reactions in some children.

The tendency to have allergies is somewhat genetic; children of parents with allergies have an increased likelihood of developing allergies themselves. The likelihood of child allergies is even greater for children with two parents with allergies. It is prudent for parents, especially those with severe allergies, to limit their child's exposure to their allergy triggers and be watchful when a child is introduced to known parental allergy triggers.