School nurses report an increasing number of students requiring medications for allergies, which also cause numerous absences. Allergic disease in children can result from either genetic or environmental factors. A child born to one parent with allergies, for example, has a 50 percent chance of developing allergies, while a child with two allergic parents has a 70 percent probability. The type of allergy the child develops cannot be predicted, however. For example, a child born to pollen-sensitive parents may develop a cat allergy instead.
Allergies are an immune system response.
Here is a brief overview of the major allergies affecting children. Allergic Rhinitis , or inflammation of the mucous membrane in the nose, affects up to 40 percent of children. Its symptoms include sneezing, itchy nose, and nasal discharge. While these symptoms are not life-threatening, a constant runny nose can be an embarrassment to children. It is not uncommon for other children to avoid classmates with runny noses, or to make them the target of jokes.