Author: Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center Lu Jiali
Allergic rhinitis is common in children but is not easy to detect at first. At first, the child may just rub his eyes and pick his nose frequently, and be mistaken for a bad habit, but he does not know that it is itchy eyes and nose. It wasn't until more obvious symptoms such as sneezing and runny nose appeared that parents realized that there was a situation and needed to go to the hospital for consultation. Many parents will wonder, how can a child get allergic rhinitis at such a young age?
What is allergic rhinitis?
Allergic rhinitis, also known as allergic rhinitis, is a non-infectious inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa caused by the body's allergy to a substance. Common allergens include pollen, dust, mites, mold, animal dander, etc. In recent years, due to changes in the living environment, more and more children have developed allergic rhinitis.
There are many ways to prevent and treat allergic rhinitis, including avoidance of allergens, medication, nasal irrigation, desensitization, and surgery. For most children, allergic rhinitis cannot be cured unless desensitized therapy is done, which means that it may require long-term or repeated medication, so it is very important to use the drug correctly. Let's take a look at the common drugs used in children's allergic rhinitis and their precautions for use.
What are the common medications for allergic rhinitis?
Commonly used drugs for allergic rhinitis include hormonal nasal sprays, nasal sprays of antihistamines, and oral preparations. With the exception of severe allergic rhinitis, oral hormonal drugs are generally not recommended. When doctors use medications to treat allergic rhinitis, they will take the appropriate treatment plan according to the age of the child, the severity of symptoms (mild or moderate), the frequency of symptom attacks (persistent or intermittent), and the presence or absence of comorbid diseases (asthma, adenoidal hypertrophy, sinusitis, etc.).
For children under 2 years of age, allergic rhinitis is rare, and even if it is mild, it is generally a safer and milder drug, such as sodium cromoglycate nasal spray, or oral second-generation antihistamines, such as cetirizine.
For children over 2 years of age, the choice of medication depends on the severity of symptoms and the frequency of episodes. Mild or intermittent episodes typically use antihistamine nasal sprays, such as levabastine nasal sprays, or oral second-generation antihistamines such as cetirizine or loratadine. Children with severe or persistent seizures may use hormonal nasal sprays.
Hormone-based nasal sprays are currently recognized at home and abroad as the most effective drugs for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. For some children with moderate to severe symptoms with comorbidities, or patients with poor hormonal nasal spray therapy, another drug can be combined, such as antihistamine nasal spray, oral antihistamine, montelukast, etc.
What are the precautions for parents when administering the drug?
Many parents are worried about the side effects of hormonal nasal sprays, and the child's condition improves and immediately stops the drug, which will lead to repeated episodes of rhinitis. To ensure the effectiveness of treatment, hormonal nasal sprays should be used regularly for at least 2 weeks. In fact, the topical use of hormone nasal sprays has very small absorption in the body and has basically no impact on the growth and development of children. Parents should follow the doctor's advice, and use it when they should use it.
Nasal sprays are a commonly used drug dosage form for allergic rhinitis, and for smaller children, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the drug, it should be administered by parents.
Before using nasal sprays, it is best to clean up the scab or wash the nasal cavity with normal saline;
Place the nasal spray bottle upright or slightly sideways to the nasal wing, avoid spraying towards the nasal septum;
Let the child's head remain slightly forward leaning forward, with a gentle nasal inhalation when spraying, and slowly raise the head for a few seconds after spraying to ensure that the drug stays in the nasal cavity.
Xiaobian has read so much, in fact, I want to tell you that parents with rhinitis babies: children's allergic rhinitis is not terrible, as long as you follow the doctor's advice, avoid allergens, and use drugs reasonably, you can effectively reduce symptoms and greatly improve the quality of life of children.
Review expert: Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center He Yanling
The above is the original work of the volunteers of the "Drug Safety Cooperation Alliance", if you reprint, please indicate the author and source!
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