Lecture 12 - Infant and Child Allergies Flashcards
what is a allergy
when a person reacts to a substance in the environment that are harmless to most people
1 in how many people will develop allergies at some time during their life
1 in 5 people
1 in how many people will develop eczema during their life
1 in 10
what % of children have a food allergy
5-10%
what % of adults have a food allergy
2-4%
allergies can occur across the lifetime but
many develop when we are young
we are less likely to grow out of an allergy if
it develops later in life
what is atopic disease
a genetic tendency to develop allergic disease
a child / person with atopic disease produces
elevated IgE antibodies after exposure to environmental allergens
atopic diseases present with one or more of …
asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema or hives
what is atopic dermatitis (ezcema)
inflammation of the skin - reddened, swollen, itchy, weeping skin
what is asthma
an allergic inflammation of the bronchial airways producing swelling, narrowing and mucus = leads to difficulty breathing
what is allergic rhinitis
also known as hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose which occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air
what is a food allergy
an immune mediated hypersensitivity reaction to a food
what is hive (urtucarua)
itchy, raised lumps on the skin, can occur anywhere on the body
what is generally the first atopic disease to occur
ezcema
up to what % of children with eczema have a progression to asthma and or rhino-conjunctivitis
up to 40%
what is atopic march
meaning if an individual develops eczema they will be more susceptible to developing asthma of food allergies
what % of infants with ezcema will develop a food allergy
40% will also develop food allergy
majority of children with asthma will develop symptoms by age
6 and many even develop symptoms by age 3
what is wheezing
a sign of asthma, high pitched, whistling noise that occurs naturally with exhaling
do all children who wheeze develop asthma
not all children who have wheezing develop asthma and not all children who have asthma wheeze
what is a immune mediated response
can either be IgE or non IgE mediated, but involves the immune system
what is IgE mediated response
involves antibodies, picked up with a skin prick test
what is a non IgE mediated response
immune response - centered usually in the gut less immediate, does not produce antibodies
what happens in IgE mediated food allergy
Immunoglobulin E antibody identifies food proteins and signals the immune system to react
what are mast cells
first line of defence
where are mast cells found
skin, lungs, nose, mouth, gut and blood