| What Parents Should Know About Child Allergy Shots |
What Parents Should Know About Child Allergy Shots
Child allergy shots are a well-proven, medically accepted therapy for the treatment and prevention of allergy reactions in kids. Child allergy shots have produced great results in preventing future reactions of targeted allergies. Child allergy shots are not indicated for many child allergy sufferers, though, and so before a parent pursues the possibility of child allergy shots for their allergic child, they should take some time to learn about what child allergy shots are, and who should consider getting them.
What Are Child Allergy Shots?
In essence, child allergy shots are immunizations, or vaccines, against specific allergies. After testing to determine what specific allergens are causing allergic reactions in children, purified extracts of allergen are prepared and given to the child in a series of shots. One shot will be given for each specific allergen the child is being treated for. The small doses of allergens give the child's body the opportunity to acclimate to the allergen and recognize it as harmless (as it should be). Over time, the body will stop producing immune antibodies to the allergen(s) so the child will no longer experience an allergic reaction when the allergen is encountered. Child allergy shots are also called immunotherapy or desensitization.
How Do Child Allergy Shots Help Kids With Allergies?
As mentioned above, child allergy shots re-train the body to recognize allergens the way it should—as harmless substances rather than dangerous invaders. The body learns to ignore the allergen and not build up reaction-causing antibodies against it. Essentially, it restores the body back to 'normal' for each type of allergy shot given; the result is a lasting immunity against the targeted allergen or allergens. The immunity should last the child for five to ten years following course completion if the course is given according to schedule; if the course is stopped or interrupted prematurely, the immunity will not last as long.
This is not to say that a child will never again experience an allergic reaction if other allergies are present. Each child allergy shot treats one kind of allergy; allergies that are not immunized for (because they are unknown or contra-indicated for desensitization) will still be present and will still create a reaction.
How Are Child Allergy Shots Given?
Child allergy shots are given in small doses over a long period of time for each allergen (but more than one type of shot may be given in each setting).
Child allergy shots start off in small doses; these small doses should not cause an allergic reaction in the child. At first, child allergy shots will be given on a weekly basis in most cases. This proceeds for between three and six months until the child is able to tolerate higher levels of allergen; this is considered a build-up period and when it is complete allergy symptoms normally subside. Following the build-up period, there is a three to five year maintenance period.
As the therapy progresses, the dosage of allergen is increased; larger doses still should not produce a reaction. The larger dosages make it possible to reduce the frequency of child allergy shots to once monthly throughout the maintenance period. At the end of the five-year total, lasting immunity has been achieved.
Are There Risks To Giving Child Allergy Shots?
Allergy shots do present a risk of reaction and side-effects. These do not occur in all children receiving child allergy shots and of those who do most reactions are limited to localized swelling and itching at the injection site which can be treated with antihistamines. When swelling and itching is significant the dosage of allergen and/or schedule may be adjusted.
There is also the possibility that a child will experience a systemic reaction that affects various parts of the body with mild to severe whole-body allergy symptoms. These reactions are rarely life-threatening, but the potential for anaphylaxis is there. For this reason, it is imperative that only a qualified immunologist/allergist administer child allergy shots and that the child be watched in the doctor's office for approximately a half an hour following treatment.
Who Should Get Child Allergy Shots?
Child allergy shots are not recommended for all children with child allergies; in fact, child allergy shots are not recommended in the majority of cases. Both parent and child must commit to the long course of treatment and must understand the risks to the child's health.
When child allergies can be reasonably controlled with allergy medicines, relief medications, and environmental measures, child allergy shots are not usually recommended. Child allergy shots are normally only given to children with uncontrollable allergies or children who adversely react to available allergy medications.
Child allergy shots can give relief to a child that will last for years to come; such a great promise is hard to ignore, but the decision to have a child undergo years of immunotherapy is one that can only be reached cooperatively between parent, child, and allergist. Like all medical decisions, choosing child allergy shots is a serious decision that warrants careful research and consideration.
|
Recognizing Child Allergy Symptoms Recognizing child allergy symptoms can be a bit of a challenge, particularly for less severe reactions ...
read more
Common Child Allergy Triggers Nearly any substance existing on earth has the potential to be a child allergy trigger in ...
read more
What To Do In Case Of An Allergy Attack In Children If you are a parent or caregiver responsible for ...
read more
The Basics Of Child Food Allergies Child food allergies are the subject of some debate among medical professionals the existence ...
read more
Maintaining An Allergy Proof Home Whenever possible, the absolute best way to manage children's seasonal and environmental allergies is to ...
read more
Skin Allergies In Children The appearance of a skin rash is generally what people think of when they talk about ...
read more
Relief For Kids With Skin Allergies Kids with skin allergies have a strong need for relief of skin allergy symptoms. ...
read more
Living With Child Pet Allergies Nearly any type of pet can cause allergies in children understanding the basics of child ...
read more
Allergy Relief For Kids Allergy relief for kids suffering from any type of allergy is a major concern for parents ...
read more
Relieving Child Allergies Without Medications Allergy medicines can and do play an important role in managing and relieving child allergies ...
read more
Medical And Pharmaceutical Options For Child Allergy Treatment Medical and pharmaceutical options for child allergy treatment are recommended for stopping ...
read more
An Overview Of Children's Allergy Products There are a number of practices, and products that are useful in treating children's ...
read more
Understanding And Managing Latex Allergy In Children Latex allergy in children seems to be on the rise, although that perception ...
read more
What Parents Should Know About Child Allergy Testing Allergy testing can be an effective way to identify the allergens that ...
read more
Allergy Management For Kids With Seasonal Allergies Allergy management for kids with seasonal allergies is a mixture of medical intervention ...
read more
Telltale Signs Of Seasonal Allergies In Children Parents often have a lot of trouble figuring out whether their children are ...
read more
Help For Parents And Children Dealing With A Child Cat Allergy Discovering a child cat allergy can be very disheartening ...
read more
Life With Kids And Dog Allergies If you have kids and dog allergies in your home, and giving up the ...
read more
The Relationship Between Asthma And Child Allergies Childhood asthma is a condition that is both directly related to and entirely ...
read more
Environmental Allergies In Children It is not uncommon for people to think of seasonal or nasal allergies when they think ...
read more
Child Dust Allergies Are Manageable One of the most common types of allergy found in youngsters is child dust allergies. ...
read more
The How, When, And Where Of Child Mold Allergies If you have a child suffering from allergies in your home ...
read more
Chemical Allergies In Children As allergies go, chemical allergies in children occur less frequently than other types of allergies such ...
read more
Food Intolerance In Children: How It Differs From Child Food Allergies Child nutrition is not always just a matter of ...
read more
Locating And Choosing Allergists For Children When child allergies go beyond mild, it may be time to seek more specialized ...
read more
The Role Of The Children's Immunologist When the diagnosis, treatment, or management of children's allergies goes beyond the knowledge and ...
read more
What Is Sinusitis In Children? Sinusitis in children is a common childhood illness, which may be even more prevalent in ...
read more
Is It Possible To Keep Kids Allergy-Free? Parenting would be a far easier task if there was a magic way ...
read more
Methods Of Food Allergy Testing For Children When child food allergies or child food intolerances are suspected, food allergy testing ...
read more
Preventing Child Food Allergy From Birth No parent wants to see their child suffer throughout life with food allergies. There ...
read more
Recognizing Food Allergy Symptoms In Kids If you can learn to recognize the sometimes elusive symptoms of child food allergies, ...
read more
Child Eczema And Allergies: Relationship And Control Eczema often plays a big role in the life of a child with ...
read more
The Link Between Allergies And Sinus Infections in Children What's the link between allergies and sinus infections in children? In ...
read more
Products For Kids With Dust Mite Allergies There are plenty of medications for kids with dust mite allergies. But medications ...
read more
Should My Child Have Child Allergy Immunotherapy? Child allergy immunotherapy is not indicated for many children suffering from mild to ...
read more
An Overview Of Kids Pollen Allergies Kid's pollen allergies are yet another of the myriad allergies which impact the lives, ...
read more
Facts And Myths About Milk Allergy In Children Milk allergy in children may be one of the more misunderstood of ...
read more
Often Unrecognized, Often Undiagnosed, Delayed Food Allergy In Children You might find it surprising that not all allergies present with ...
read more
The Danger Of A Child Peanut Allergy Child peanut allergies have been increasing in school, medical, and national news. Incidences ...
read more
Wheat Allergy In Children Wheat allergy in children causes mild to severe allergy symptoms that can occur quickly, may not ...
read more
Learning To Live With Gluten Allergy In Kids Gluten allergy in kids refers to an intolerance and/or allergic reaction response ...
read more
How To Tell Sinus Infection In Kids Your child is sneezing, miserable, and congested it seems you'll never be over ...
read more
What Parents Should Know About Child Allergy Shots Child allergy shots are a well-proven, medically accepted therapy for the treatment ...
read more
Why Sinus Relief In Children With Allergies Is Important Sinus symptoms and complications are common in children with allergies. Between ...
read more
Over-The-Counter Medication Options To Treat Child Sinus Allergies It is very helpful for parents of children with child sinus allergies ...
read more
The Basics Of Child Hay Fever In the past it has been maintained that child hay fever didn't really exist ...
read more
Learning To Recognize Child Medication Allergies During the course of treatment, a child may come into contact with a medication ...
read more
Common Child Allergy Sinus Problems Children suffer from a variety of common upper respiratory infections and allergies that take a ...
read more
Finding Reliable Child Allergy Information For Parents Parents of children with allergies need child allergy information. A stock of reliable ...
read more
Allergy Information For Kids With Allergies Sure it's important for parents of children with allergies to have great information resources ...
read more
Is It Possible To Outgrow Childhood Allergies? Wouldn't it be wonderful if your child's allergies would just disappear? For some, ...
read more
Understanding Child Environmental Allergy Symptoms In the broadest sense, child environmental symptoms are caused by any type of allergen in ...
read more
|
|
|
Disclaimer: The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this website, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.
This site is a common sense guide to What Parents Should Know About Child Allergy Shots. In practical advice websites, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.
This site is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional. |
