The China Maternal and Child Health Hospital released the results of an epidemiological survey of allergies in urban infants and young children, showing that 40% of babies are allergic. Experts remind that prevention of allergies should start during pregnancy
Eczema on the face is always bad, vomiting after feeding, frequent diarrhea or constipation, severe coughing and asthma when the weather changes… Parents should not think that these symptoms in the baby are just \”getting angry\” or \”burping after eating\” or \”cold\” , the real cause may be allergies. Recently, the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (hereinafter referred to as the Maternal and Child Health Hospital) released the research results of the \”Urban Maternal and Child Health Hospital\” and the Beijing \”Infant Allergy Epidemiological Survey Project\”. Chongqing is one of the 33 cities surveyed. Research results show that 40% of babies are allergic children. Zhou Xiaojun, director of the health department of the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital, said that preventing allergies should start during pregnancy.
How many babies have allergies?
40% of urban babies are allergic
It is reported that allergic diseases are the sixth most common disease in the world and the third most common disease in children under the age of 18. The incidence rate in China and other developed countries is rising rapidly. It has been listed by the World Health Organization as the most serious disease of the 21st century. One of the public health issues. From 2014 to 2015, the Maternal and Child Center organized and implemented the \”Urban Infant Allergy Epidemiological Survey Project\”, aiming to understand the incidence of allergic diseases in infants and young children in my country, analyze the genetic and environmental factors of allergies, and explore possible causes. Allergy prevention methods.
Field surveys for this project were carried out in 33 cities across the country, and a total of 11,950 infants and young children aged 0-24 months were investigated. Among them, Chongqing participated, and more than 300 parents of school-age infants and young children in Yuzhong District accepted a questionnaire survey. The final statistical results showed that 40.9% of the parents of infants and young children who participated in the survey said that their children had or were experiencing allergic symptoms; the main ones were itching, eye and nose symptoms, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
What are the symptoms of allergies in babies?
Eczema, asthma, diarrhea, etc.
\”Why does the rash on my baby\’s face always look bad?\” \”My baby wheezes every time the weather changes. Why does he still catch a cold even if he wears enough clothes?\” \”The food given to the baby is the cleanest, why not?\” Still Do you often have stomach problems? \”
\”Actually, these symptoms may be allergic reactions.\” Zhou Xiaojun, director of the health department of the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital, said that allergies are an overreaction of the immune system. Such as food proteins) are misjudged as foreign bodies, produce abnormal reactions to them, and show various disease symptoms. Therefore, once a baby frequently experiences similar situations as mentioned above, parents should highly suspect that it is an allergy.
What harm do allergies do to babies?
May cause asthma and rhinitis
Zhou Xiaojun said that allergies mainly invade the baby\’s three major systems: digestive tract, skin and respiratory tract. Symptoms of the three systems will not appear at the same time, but as the baby grows olderTransition from one symptom to another, such as food allergy (eczema, gastrointestinal allergies) – mite allergy (wheezing) – pollen allergy (rhinitis, allergic asthma).
The earliest allergy symptoms in babies are digestive tract symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, etc. However, many normal babies also have these symptoms, so parents generally do not think it is allergies. In addition, atopic dermatitis (also known as eczema) is also a common allergy manifestation. When babies grow up, they may also develop symptoms such as asthma and allergic rhinitis.
Some babies with allergies in infancy will naturally alleviate their symptoms as they grow older, and their symptoms will disappear. When they grow up, they can eat things they could not eat before.
What can cause allergies in babies?
Cesarean section increases risk of allergies
Zhou Xiaojun said that allergies have internal and external causes. The internal causes mainly include family inheritance and immature immune system. Family history is a high risk factor for allergic diseases. If both parents have a history of allergies, the chance of the child being allergic is as high as 80%; ~40%.
External factors such as delivery method and diet may also cause allergies in your baby. For example, caesarean section increases the risk of allergies because the baby is not exposed to maternal flora, the mother takes antibiotics after delivery, and breastfeeding is delayed. In addition, milk is also the number one allergen in infants. Ordinary milk powder contains a large amount of macromolecular intact milk proteins, which are regarded as \”foreign bodies\” by the baby\’s body, making it highly susceptible to allergies. Surveys show that babies exposed to regular cow\’s milk protein formula in the first week of life are four times more likely to develop allergies than breastfed babies.
In addition, secondhand smoke, indoor insect mites, air pollution, dander secretions, excessive use of detergents, etc. may also cause allergies in babies. Zhou Xiaojun said that babies should live in a clean environment, but \”clean\” does not mean \”sterile\”. Disinfectants can make babies lose resistance to external flora and increase the risk of allergies.
remind
Breastfeeding for more than 4 months
Can prevent baby allergies
Zhou Xiaojun said that prevention is the most critical part of dealing with allergies. To prevent baby allergies, mothers should start working hard during pregnancy, including avoiding possible allergic risk factors, such as avoiding or using less antibiotics, less exposure to second-hand smoke, no caesarean section, no pets, no use of disinfectants, etc. In addition, insist on exclusive breastfeeding for more than 4 months, and choose moderately hydrolyzed protein formula milk powder when breast milk is insufficient. Specific nutritional intervention with hydrolyzed infant formula during the first 4 months of life can prevent atopic eczema in children under 10 years of age who are not exclusively breastfed and at high risk for allergic diseases.
For mothers, supplementing with probiotics during pregnancy and lactation can reduce the incidence of atopic dermatitis in babies by 50%. In the stage of adding non-staple food to the baby, no complementary food should be added earlier than 4 months, and no later than 8 months.For babies with a high risk of allergies, it is recommended to add solid food after 6 months of age and delay the introduction of allergy-prone foods, such as wheat, egg protein, fish, shrimp, soybeans and nuts.
association
count your babies
How likely is it to be allergic?
At present, the obstetrics clinic of the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital will add infant allergy risk testing to pregnant women who have had prenatal examinations, and provide targeted guidance to pregnant women based on the test results. Readers in need may wish to test it themselves to see if their baby is allergic.