The Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments of Allergies and Asthma

Unfortunately, little ones aren't immune from the sometimes troubling side effects of allergies. They too get sniffles, itchy eyes, and nasty coughs. Here are some of the latest statistics regarding this often annoying health condition:

• Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) is a seasonal condition that affects more than 60 million Americans. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) reports that allergy-related diseases affect as much as 40 percent of children in the U.S.
• Nearly 10 percent of children in the U.S. suffer from asthma. According to the AAAAI, children between the ages off 5 and 17 miss around12.8 million school days each year. Asthma accounts for around 2217,000 emergency room visits and 10.5 million office visits annually.
• Childhood asthma differs from adult asthma in that infants and small children may not show the usual symptoms. Kids often exhibit symptoms such as rapid respiration, noisy breathing, chest retractions, and chest congestion. Physicians who aren't specialists may treat these symptoms as an infection, not realizing that the underlying cause is asthma. Correct diagnosis and management of childhood asthma may require an asthma and allergy specialist who recognizes the uniqueness of childhood asthma.