children and allergies

My daughter is 14 and has allergies. She takes Zyrtec and does well with it. Lately she has been sick alot. her father insists it is her allergies, I disagree. She tells me she is sick of being sick. What can make a child always have a runny nose and cough? Is it that the Zyrtec may not be working anymore?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Your daughter’s symptoms seem to be due to hay fever or allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is a collection of symptoms, predominantly in the nose and eyes, caused by airborne particles of dust, dander, or plant pollens in people who are allergic to these substances.

Pls contact an allergic specialist and get skin tests like skin ***** test done. In this a small amount of allergen is introduced into the skin of the forearm and the reaction of the skin is noted. If there is any redness then that person is allergic to the allergen introduced.

You can also get blood tests like RAST done.If the tests come out positive, then apart from the medical treatment, avoidance of the particular allergen is the best treatment.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.