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Children's immunologist

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Respiratory allergies

Alexey Portnov, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024

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Respiratory allergies are a collective concept that includes allergic diseases of the upper respiratory tract (small forms of respiratory allergies), bronchial asthma and more rare diseases of allergic etiology: exogenous allergic alveolitis, allergic pneumonia, eosinophilic pulmonary infiltrate.

Allergic diseases of the upper respiratory tract ("Small" forms of respiratory allergies)

The causes of respiratory allergies. With respiratory allergy occurs mainly inhalation sensitization by various exogenous allergens.

Household allergens occupy a leading place in the formation of respiratory allergies.

Home dust is multicomponent in composition. It includes allergens of house dust mites, epidermal, fungal, bacterial, chemical allergens.

A child with a respiratory allergy may have a hypersensitivity to both the complex allergen of household dust and its individual components.

The main part of house dust is allergens of the insect fauna of the dwelling: chitinous membrane, secrets and excreta of house dust mites (D. Pteronyssimus, D. Farinae, D. Microceras, Euroglyphus mainae), cockroaches (Blattella germanica, Blattella orintalis). Many ticks are in carpets, drapery fabrics, bedding, soft toys and furniture. The best conditions for the reproduction of ticks are the temperature of 22-26 ° C and the relative humidity of more than 55%.

Pollen allergens.

The high incidence of fungal sensitization in allergic diseases of the respiratory tract is due to the widespread prevalence of mold fungi in nature. Their spores are smaller in size than pollen and are spread over long distances. A particularly high concentration of fungal aeroallergens in regions with high humidity.

Food allergens play a lesser role in the etiology of respiratory allergy than inhalation, but their role in the formation and flow of both small forms of allergies (allergic rhinitis, relapsing laryngitis), and bronchial asthma, exogenous allergic alveolitis is well known.

Causes of respiratory allergies

Symptoms of respiratory allergies ..

Seasonality of allergic rhinitis depends on the spectrum of sensitization

with household sensitization, clinical manifestations are observed year-round with an increase in the autumn-winter period;
with pollen sensitization there is a distinct seasonality of exacerbations.

Allergic rhinitis in children is usually combined with sinusitis (painful palpation at the point of exit of the trigeminal nerve, symmetrical darkening with uneven contours on the radiograph), eustachyte, adenoid hyperplasia, otitis and other disorders of the upper respiratory tract.

Symptoms of respiratory allergies

Diagnostics of respiratory allergoses .. Difficulty is the differential diagnosis of diseases of the upper respiratory tract of allergic and infectious etiology.

Diagnostics of small forms of respiratory allergosis is based on the evaluation of the listed clinical manifestations, the analysis of the allergological anamnesis and the results of the allergological examination, the methodology of which is considered in the section on diagnosing bronchial asthma in children.

Treatment. With all forms of respiratory allergosis, one should strive for maximum dissociation with a causally significant allergen (see Treatment and prevention of pollinosis ).

When the allergic disease of the upper respiratory tract worsens, children are prescribed antihistamines I (tavegil, suprastin, diazolin, fenkarol), II (zirtek, claritin, semprex, histalkon, kestin) or third generation (telphast). With severe nasal congestion, the appointment of decongestants of sympathomimetic action (galazoline) is necessary. Treatment with these drugs is carried out for up to 5-7 days, as longer their use is fraught with the development of the "rebound" syndrome, manifested in the increase of edema of the nasal mucosa. New vasoconstrictive drugs (otrivine, aphrene, ximelin, nasivin, tizin) are not as aggressive, however, their use for more than 2-3 weeks is undesirable for the same reasons. Combined preparations with decongestant and antihistaminic activity (antistin-prion, rhinoproton, clarinase) are effective. The use of antihistamines is indicated locally (intranasally): allergodyl, histimed.

Treatment of respiratory allergies

trusted-source [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]