Q&A about allergies with Sense About Science - ANSWERS BACK

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

This week we are running a Q&A with Sense About Science about allergies. Sense About Science have just released a new guide which aims to make sense of the causes, diagnosis and treatments.

The guide tackles topics ranging from whether allergies are becoming more common to how to get an accurate diagnosis to allergies that can come and go.

Here’s an opportunity to hear more about the facts from a panel of experts arranged by Sense About Science.

The experts answering the Q&A will be:

Dr Paul Seddon, a Consultant Respiratory Paediatrician at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton. His research interests include lung function measurement in infants and preschool children, wheezing disease and asthma in early life.

Dr Adam Fox is a Consultant Paediatric Allergist at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals Foundation Trust in London, the UK’s largest specialist allergy service. His clinical role involves the management of children with food allergies, asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis as well as children with difficult eczema where food allergy plays a role.

Dr Tariq El-Shanawany is a Consultant Clinical Immunologist. His interests are in anaphylaxis and the implementation of new laboratory techniques to improve the diagnosis of allergy.

Dr Samantha Walker is Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director for Research & Policy at Asthma UK. Her research interests include the mechanisms of allergic inflammation, the impact of allergen immunotherapy on clinical and immunological outcomes and the impact and management of allergic rhinitis.

Please post your questions on this thread until Sunday 14 June. Our expert panel will have answers ready on Monday 22 June and we’ll post them here.

Thanks

MNHQ

[Milica261613]

My five year old boy has asthma. Allergy tests to inhalant allergens confirmed a ragweed allergy.
He takes Flixotide (fluticasone propionate) twice a day, for a months.
His asthma attacks are rare but difficult and caused by allergens as well as by viruses. I say difficult because he doesn't have good response to bronchodilators.

Ventoline (salbutamol) helps him, but not exactly as it should, i.e. initial therapy gives an effect, then the situation is stagnant, and then level of oxygen falls again.
This second - Berodual (fenoterol, ipratropium bromide) initially helps, but after 2-3 treatment starts coughing, irritating, which takes hours and introduces him to a new crisis.
I read for Atrovent (ipratropium bromide) and Xopenex (levalbuterol tartrate), but all are among the adverse reactions difficulty breathing, so I am afraid to try them.
Could you please tell me if there is any possibility that he has an allergy to any of the ingredients of the aforementioned medicaments. Please recommend on which substances should he be tested in order to find the best bronchodilator for him?

[OliveCane]

I am convinced my son has allergies because he had antibiotics straight after birth, as a precautionary measure. Is there any association between use of antibiotics straight after birth and multiple allergies?

[Goldthorpewise]

Should allergic cough be treated in the same way as asthma? Could it be more related to post nasal drip and be treated with nasal sprays instead? Would treatment with steroid nasal sprays be more desirable than steroid inhalers, if this were the case?

How can it be determined whether a child has allergic cough or asthma?

[lmnz]

Is there any research evidence on whether histamine levels in blood / brain can cause behavioural changes?

[Penfolds5]

Hi. First, thank you all so much for doing this Q&A.

My question is about desensitisation for hayfever. Do you consider that, so long as it does not trigger dangerous reactions during the process, it is safe? Are there any longer-term disadvantages of desensitisation (e.g., effects on the immune system more generally), or do you have any concerns that there might be? Many thanks.

[MOsMum2]

Hi my 12 year old has had delayed reactions to baked milk in a muffin - about an hour after eating he developed hives & a cough. We treated with antihistamine & ventolin. Is this still classed as anaphylaxis since it was delayed? Why did it occur an hour after eating the food? He would like to be desensitised to milk, can we still follow the milk ladder by going down several steps and slowly working back up again, and will this help him outgrow his milk allergy?

[OliveCane]

Hi, could a reaction to a cat allergy be in the form of developing a cough?

[OliveCane]

Hi again, thanks for participating in this!

• My son has multiple delayed allergies, including wheat. Should he be able to tolerate barley?
  

• Have any of your patients who react to chicken eggs, able to tolerate quail/duck eggs?

[diggerdigsdogs]

My son is 2.5 and has viral induced wheeze/asthma. He has a daily steroid and ventolin as needed (every time he catches a bloody cold but well otherwise).

There is a strong history of asthma, eczema, milk intolerance, cat hair and dust mite allergies and hayfeever in my family and some on DH family.

Two questions really:
Should I push for allergy testing or to find out if there is any other cause for the viral induced wheeze and why he has such extreme reactions to a cold (he hasn't had a cold that hasnt resulted in a hospital admission) or just wait and see?

Is there anything at all that can boost immunity in children like ds? His older sister is in day care and its impossible to stop him catching stuff off her.

We are in Aus so it's not hard to request allergy testing here. I won't have to fight for it.

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

We've received most of the experts' answers to your questions and we are building a page with all the questions and answers. This will be ready in a few days and I'll include a link to the page here as soon as it's done.

Thanks

[Loraline]

Eagerly awaiting answers!

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

Apologies for the delay with this. Please take a look at this page Q&A about allergies with Sense About Science - answering Mumsnetters' questions for answers from our expert panel.

Thanks

[Loraline]

Thank you!