Multiple Allergies and Growing Up

This young man first saw me at the age of 12 with very severe eczema and he was feeling terrible and really, who can blame him?

He was first diagnosed to have house dust mite, egg and milk allery and later with the help of his mum and himself, we gradually realised that he also had chrome, nickel, alcohol, detergent and mint allergy. That's quite a number.

His condition improved with time but he was not happy as he was the smallest boy in class and by 15 had not attained puberty. I assured him that with the elimination of his allergies, he would grow. Of course, being the awkward age of 15, I wasn't sure if he believed me.

Imagine my pride that he is now grown and training for a triathron! In fact when I met him at the park where I have my weekly walks, he challenged me for a race (with handicap of course... I'm past my prime) with the bet that if he won, further medical fees would be waived. Clever boy.

Because he was getting better in the course of his treatment, he also mentioned that he wanted me to stay alive as long as he lives so that he would always be well. What a compliment, I thought.

Allergies May Have Multiple Causes. Doctor and Patient Detective Collaboration Helps.

My learning continues.

Allergies in Infants

Allergy in infants is fascinating to me especially neonates (babies who are a few weeks old) as most of them are on breast milk and therefore the number of allergens they are exposed to in their diet are limited. 

I had a neonate who had a rash on his face. His father is a good friend of mine and his mother is a pharmacist (who has since introduced a lot of patients to me).

I thought the obvious culprit would be cows milk but on testing it was not. I then thought maybe it was the cream or soap they were using on him but the test also proved negative. The mysterious agent was soon confirmed when the father stated that they have just installed a drinking water filter of a particular brand when the child was born thinking the water would be better for him. I did my muscle testing and confirmed that it was indeed the water was the cause of the boys rash and by simply eliminating the filtered water, the rash would not come back. I was proven right; it didn't.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Another interesting case was the child was having a rash just below both his eyes one week after birth and muscle testing did not reveal a cause for the rash. I was puzzled as I had gone through every conceivable substance and food with no results, UNTIL I saw the pacifier the child had in his mouth. I tested that and it proved to be positive. That was when I discovered that silicon material nowadays used in milk bottle teats and pacifiers can be the cause of allergy of the face or around the mouth in infants. They do very well by switching to rubber teats and not using pacifier (which is not easy to do sometimes!).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Other common allergy in infants is cow's milk or even soya milk allergy. Goat's milk allergy is rare but possible. House dust mite or mould (spores in the air) allergy causing infants to have a lot of phlegm resulting in disturbed sleep is not uncommon.

Diaper allergy causing rashes around the groin region is common and infants can have rashes as a result of paraben (a chemical) found in a lot of baby creams and lotions. Inhalants that cause nasal congestion or even wheezing also includes pets such as dogs, cats and even birds and hamsters. I had a child who was allergic to the white jasmine flowers which the indians use as prayer offerings. The list goes on and on.  

The Lesson: Allergy in infants can be caused by a myriad of agents

… and my learning continues.