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Skin rash, colic, lingering earache, and many other symptoms
can be caused by underlying allergic inflammation, which estimates
show affect up to 30% of children.1 Children
with allergic sensitivities are frequently born with a genetic predisposition
to atopy. The formation of IgE antibodies starts early in life (often
in early infancy), and can be detected before clinical symptoms emerge.2 In
fact, IgE can be detected in children as young as
3 months. Allergic
sensitivities such as those related to foods are often difficult
to detect. With standard physical and patient history, allergy may
be detected only 50% of the time.3 In
young children, atopy can manifest in ways not typically thought
of as allergy, including eczema, colic, recurrent otitis media, and
allergic rhinitis. In addition to causing or contributing to today’s
acute symptoms, the allergic inflammatory process may also jeopardize
the child’s long-term health. Asthma often involves allergy, and commonly results from a cascade of atopic illnesses known as the pediatric Allergy March.
In order both to manage acute symptoms and aid long-term health,
experts in pediatric allergy and diagnostic testing recommend allergy
testing to confirm or rule out atopy and to identify specific allergens,
which will lead to a different treatment plan.1,3,4
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