PREVENTING FOOD SENSITIVITY: PURE AIR
The more allergens a baby is exposed to during the first year of life, the more likely it is to develop allergies. The first three months are much the most crucial. Airborne allergens are just as important as food allergens for the high-risk child, and reducing exposure to the main ones may help your child to escape the miseries of asthma or rhinitis in later years.
The major domestic allergens are house-dust mite, moulds, and particles of animal skin. Suggestions for eliminating these are given on pp66-8. If the child has not shown eczema or any other allergic symptoms by its first birthday, then pets can probably be allowed into the house again, but watch the child for symptoms and bear in mind that these can take some time to develop.
The other major airborne allergen is pollen, which is best avoided by planning the time of birth (if you can!). A baby born between September and February has the best chance of escaping hay-fever, while one born in March or April runs the greatest risk. If one or both parents is a hay-fever sufferer this particular form of family planning may be worthwhile.
Apart from allergens, there are various non-specific irritants that can make allergies more likely. Tobacco smoke is one and industrial air pollution another. A study in Sweden found that asthma and hay-fever were more common in children living near a paper factory than those living in an unin-dustrialized area. Children whose parents smoked showed more allergic problems, and so did those whose houses were built on badly drained land. The researchers concluded that these houses had more moulds growing in them. The highest risk of asthma and hay-fever was in children who were exposed to the mould allergen and to both forms of pollution – factory fumes and tobacco smoke.
Infections of the throat and chest can sometimes trigger off allergic reactions. Exactly why this should happen is not known, but there is evidence that viruses can have various unexpected effects on immune cells in the area. One effect may be to make IgE production more likely. All babies get colds and coughs, of course, and there is no point in worrying about this too much. But if there is a way of reducing exposure to infections then try to do so. For children with very high IgE levels, keeping them away from creches and playgroups until three years of age may be advisable – many infections are picked up at such gatherings. There needs to be quite a severe risk of allergy to make this worthwhile however, and the benefits to mother and child of attending such groups will usually outweigh the risk.
Any severe form of stress can also trigger allergies in the susceptible child. Serious illness or surgery during the first year of life is one such stress, and unnecessary surgery is best postponed.
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