Seasonal Allergies Hinder Children’s Activities

Seasonal allergies attack children vastly, interrupting not only their studies and sports but also impeding their sleep patterns, suggests a recent survey that had participation from more than 1000 families. Also, it revealed that spring was by far the worst allergy season.

The study found that some children's allergy symptoms are severe enough to interfere with sleep and daily activities.

29 percent of parents of allergic kids said, their children suffer from lack of sleep as compared with 12 percent of those whose children did not have allergies. Almost 50 per cent of those surveyed, said they use prescription medicine to treat their children’s allergies. Also, about 57 percent of parents said they change their medication, most often because it was not helpful enough.

"We have known anecdotally that children are affected by allergy symptoms similarly to adults, but Pediatric Allergies in America offers the first data quantifying the scope of how allergies interrupt a child's productivity, sleep cycle and daily functioning," said Dr. Jay Portnoy, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

According to researchers, about 40 million people in the U.S. are affected by Allergic rhinitis; and that includes up to 40 percent of children. The condition is worsened in the spring because the air is filled with pollens from plant and tree flowers. Suspended pollen grains trigger immune responses.

Severe allergies can cause asthma, chronic sinus problems or ear infections, said the researchers.

“Allergies are more than just a sneezing nose, running nose or itching. They have a major effect on children,” said study author Michael Blaiss, a Memphis, Tennessee, allergist who is a past president of the allergy group, in a March 14 phone interview. “One has to realize that allergic rhinitis is not a trivial condition. We see marked impairment in children.”

40 percent of parents said that nasal allergies interfere with their child's sleep as compared with 8 percent of parents of children without allergies who said health affected sleep.

The study was sponsored by Sepracor Inc, U.S. marketing partner of Denmark-based Nycomed Co.