Severe Infantile Eczema? 3 Home Improvement Projects To Consider To Prevent Other Allergic Reactions
As much as 70% of children who had severe infantile eczema as babies develop asthma as they get older. There's actually a medical term for it—atopic march. This is the progression in allergic reactions that begins as infantile eczema and can develop into allergic rhinitis, asthma, and food allergies later in life. Researchers have found that when the skin is damaged by infantile eczema, a substance called TSLP (thymic stromal lymphopoietin) is released throughout the body. At a later point, the immune system responds to this substance, which triggers allergic reactions.
So how do you, as the parent of a child who had infantile eczema, reduce your child's risk of developing severe allergic reactions, including asthma? Eliminate or reduce the triggers in your home with home renovations. Here are 3 allergic reactions and home renovation projects that may help combat the risks of them.
Allergic Rhinitis — Whole House Humidifier
Allergic rhinitis is more commonly known as hay fever. The condition occurs when histamine is released and manifests in the nasal passages with inflammation of the lining of the nasal passages. This inflammation causes irritation, nasal congestion, and difficulty with nasal breathing. Allergic rhinitis symptoms are similar to that of the common cold, with sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose, and itchiness in mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat.
Installing a whole house humidifier can help prevent and relieve allergic rhinitis symptoms. The reason for this is because the additional moisture in the air will help your child's mucous membranes be moist, which will help relieve the discomfort during an allergic reaction. Moistened tissues are better able to do their job, which is to expel irritants and allergens. A whole house humidifier can be installed by an HVAC contractor. If a whole house system is not ideal for your current housing situation, install a room humidifier in your child's bedroom.
Asthma — Radiant Floor Heating
Asthma can be triggered by various allergens that are in the air inside the home. During an asthma attack, your child's bronchial tubes will, essentially, hold on to the air inside the lungs instead of letting the lungs expel the air. This causes them to not be able to breathe any more air into their lungs. While rescue medication is available for when someone has an asthma attack, as well as preventative medication that should be taken on a daily basis, the most important thing to do is to remove the allergen from the home.
Dust, mold, and other common household allergens can be blown into the home from heating ducts. You could clean the dust, mold, and other allergens from the ducts and heating system on a regular basis, but it may be a better idea to install radiant floor heating throughout your home instead. According to Bob Vila, guru of home renovations, radiant floor heating systems are ideal for homes where allergens pose a health risk. Contact a company like Custom Comfort for more information on installing this type of flooring in your home.
Food Allergies — Water Filter
Food allergy reactions can be deadly. Researchers have found that exposure to dichlorophenols may be the cause of so many food allergies in society today. This is a byproduct that is produced from the breakdown of herbicides and dissipated into the air when the herbicides are exposed to chlorine. In a research study, the group of people with high levels of dichlorophenols in their blood had an 80% greater chance of having a food allergy.
Since your child is already at risk, it's important to use a water filter that removes chlorine from water. This water filter should be installed where the main water line enters into the home, rather than underneath the kitchen sink. That way, the entire home is protected from the release of dichlorophenols.
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