Who are pediatric allergists?
Allergies occur due to the immune system's abnormal response to allergens like certain foods, pollen, or pet dander. It is pretty prevalent in children, with nearly 50% having at least one allergy. That's where pediatric allergists come in. These healthcare professionals employ various methods to diagnose allergies, including blood and skin tests, in children up to 18.
The most common allergens include the following:
- Foods like peanuts, milk, or eggs
- Medications like penicillin
- Insect bites from bees or mosquitoes
- Environmental allergens, including pet danders, dust mites, or pollen
Accordingly, children with allergies may show the following symptoms:
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Hives
- Nausea or vomiting
- Swelling of body parts
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Itching
- Stomach pain
Book regular check-ups with a pediatric allergist near you to manage your child's allergies. They generally work with parents and guardians to develop tailored treatment plans. It may include nutrition guides, a safe home environment, and prescribing medications.
Education and training of pediatric allergists
Pediatricians specializing in allergy/immunology become pediatric allergists. Hence, their professional qualifications include the essential degrees required to become a pediatrician, and additional training. The entire process consists of the following:
- Completion of a minimum of four years in medical school.
- Culmination of three years of residency training in primary care pediatrics.
- Two or three years in an allergy and immunology program.
- Certification from the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.
What are the conditions pediatric allergists treat?
Some of the common conditions pediatric allergists diagnose and treat include the following:
- Hay fever: Also known as allergic rhinitis, it is an immune system response to outdoor or indoor allergens. Its symptoms include sinus pressure, sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes, and a runny nose. It occurs due to pet dander, dust mites, and pollen allergens. It can affect a child's capability to perform well at school.
- Asthma: Children can develop asthma after catching a cold, inhaling pollen, or other respiratory conditions. It can affect their sleep quality and disrupt their school, sports, and outdoor activities. It causes the airways and lungs to become inflamed when exposed to specific triggers. Unmanaged asthma in children can lead to dangerous asthma attacks, requiring hospital care or emergency treatment.
- Food allergy: When your immune system perceives food as an invader, it results in food allergy. Its reactions can range from mild to severe, including potentially life-threatening ones. Pediatric allergists advise avoiding such trigger foods and carrying an emergency injectable epinephrine. Some common allergen foods include shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and wheat.
- Atopic dermatitis: Atopic dermatitis can occur due to genetics, environmental factors, and allergies. It is a chronic skin condition common in babies and children. Atopic dermatitis or pediatric eczema causes dry, scaly skin, severe itching, redness and swelling, and thickened skin. Notably, the symptoms may differ from one child to another. However, you should consult a pediatric allergist near you if your child exhibits any symptoms.
- Drug allergy: Some children can become allergic to certain medications like vaccines, antibiotics, or herbal supplements. Different triggers can affect them in different ways. It can cause rashes, fever, hives, vomiting, and shortness of breath. It can also lead to severe reactions like anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening.
- Ear infection: Allergies cause inflammation in the ear and may lead to fluid accumulation, which increases the chances of ear infections and decreased hearing. A child with impaired hearing, while learning to talk, may develop poor speech. Allergies can also cause pain, itching, popping, and fullness in the ears.
- Nasal congestion: Allergies are a common cause of chronic nasal congestion (a stuffy nose) in children. Sometimes, a child’s nose is congested to the extent that they breathe through the mouth, especially while sleeping. This may lead them to not getting a good night’s sleep and being tired the next day. Further, if mouth-breathing and nasal congestion remain untreated, they can affect the growth of facial bones and teeth.
- Sinusitis: Sinuses are four paired cavities in your head connected by narrow passages. They make mucus that drains out of your nasal passages, keeping your nose clean and free of germs. Sinusitis refers to an inflammation of the tissues lining your sinuses. Its symptoms include cough, headache, runny and/or stuffy nose, and postnasal drip.
How are allergies diagnosed and treated in children?
Pediatric allergists use specialized testing procedures to identify allergies in children. Newer methods are almost painless and comfortable. The standard tests include the following:
- Skin tests: Pediatric allergists perform the test either via pricking or injecting. The first involves pricking the skin with small amounts of possible allergy triggers. The second method includes injecting tiny amounts of allergens under the skin to assess potential reactions. They can check for up to fifty allergies at once with the prick tests.
- Patch test: Patch tests are another form of skin tests where pediatric allergists will tape specific allergens placed on the skin. After that, they will carefully check it for itching, redness, or inflammation. They set the patches for two days before removing and analyzing them.
- Blood tests: Pediatric allergists will conduct blood tests when skin tests may not be possible. These tests check for specific allergy-related antibodies (IgE) in the blood.
- Guided elimination diets: Pediatric allergists can identify allergies by eliminating specific foods from children's diets. The parents conduct it under the supervision of pediatric allergists. They make the child stop eating certain foods and check whether the symptoms persist.
- Food challenge test: As the name suggests, pediatric allergists will carefully assess the child by making them inhale or eat small amounts of specific foods. Pediatric allergists perform it when other tests do not offer a clear answer.
After a positive diagnosis, pediatric allergists may offer the following treatments:
- Wet wraps
- Oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy
- Nasal sprays
- Nasal saline lavage
- Injections of biological medications
- Inhalers
- Eye drops
- Drug sensitization for certain medications
- Allergy shots
What are allergy shots?
Allergy shots (allergen immunotherapy) are used to treat children who are allergic to:
- Pet dander
- Insect stings
- Things in the environment, such as mold, pollen, and dust mites
Allergy shots help children build their immunity to specific allergens. They can also help kids with allergies and asthma flare-ups. The shots contain a small amount of the problem-causing allergen in a purified form.
Doctors administering the shots increase the dose gradually, allowing your child's immune system to adjust and develop immunity to the allergens. Healthcare providers give children allergy shots for about three to five years; most kids require fewer shots over time.
Where can you find a pediatric allergist near you?
Understanding your child's allergies and symptoms is the first step toward finding the right pediatric allergist for their treatment. Zocdoc offers a user-friendly interface to help you find the right specialist in your local area for your child's needs.
You can easily find top search results of pediatric allergists using the search bar and navigate through their profiles. Moreover, you can find various information about their qualifications, experience, and customer reviews. You can also find important information about their spoken languages and available appointment times and filter the search results according to the doctors’ gender.
Using Zocdoc’s insurance detector, you can quickly identify in-network pediatric allergists near you. While you can add medical, dental, and vision insurance plans to your Zocdoc account, you can only search for and schedule an appointment with one insurance plan at a time. In case you have multiple plans, you can mention your secondary insurance plan and carrier in your notes for the provider in the last step of the booking process. If your provider uses Zocdoc’s intake forms, you can add details about your secondary insurance while filling out your forms online. For more insurance-related queries, check Zocdoc's patient help center.
All the profiles have verified patient reviews to give you essential insights into their experiences to help make informed decisions. Once you've found the right pediatric allergist near you, you can book appointments with them on Zocdoc at no additional costs.
All bookings on Zocdoc are simple, secure, and free!
Pediatric allergy statistics
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, more than 1 in 4 children in the country. had a food allergy, seasonal allergy, or eczema in 2021. Boys were more likely to develop seasonal allergies compared to girls, as researchers found. Moreover, black, non-Hispanic children were more likely to have food allergies compared to Hispanic and white, non-Hispanic children.
Further, another study found that 10.3% of kids had skin allergies at four months. Meanwhile, 4.0% had allergies to specific foods, and 20.1% had asthma at 13 months. 19.7% of children had allergies with a stuffy or runny nose by 26 months, and 0.11% had Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) at 35 months.
The most common food allergens for children were shellfish, eggs, and peanuts. Allergies related to breathing, such as allergic rhinitis and asthma, often occur together with other allergies, as reported.
Sources
HealthyChildren.org
Golisano Children's Hospital
Children's of Alabama
Children's Hospital New Orleans
Cleveland Clinic Children's
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
WebMD
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
American Academy of Pediatrics
Mayo Clinic[1]
Mayo Clinic[2]
Nemours KidsHealth[1]
Nemours KidsHealth[2]
Children's National Hospital
Nemours Children's Health
Nationwide Children's[1]
Nationwide Children's[2]
American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
Cleveland Clinic[1]
Cleveland Clinic[2]
