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Did you know that the common cold is caused by over 200 different viruses? Learn about the symptoms, prevention, and interesting facts about this familiar illness.

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Explore the history of influenza, how it spreads, and why getting a flu shot is important. Discover how scientists work to predict each year's flu strains.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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2023-2024 Recommendations for Influenza Prevention & Treatment in Children

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COVID-19: What Middle Schoolers Need to Know

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COVID-19: What Middle Schoolers Need to Know

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Get the facts about the coronavirus pandemic, including how it started, how it spreads, and what we can do to protect ourselves and others.

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Find easy to read information about children and COVID-19. Help protect everyone 5 years and older b

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Learn about asthma, a common respiratory condition that affects many kids. Understand its causes, symptoms, and how to manage it effectively.

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Diabetes Decoded: Types, Symptoms, and Management

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Diabetes Decoded: Types, Symptoms, and Management

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Explore the different types of diabetes, how they affect the body, and ways to manage blood sugar levels. Discover why a healthy lifestyle is crucial for everyone.

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What Causes Diabetes? | The Dr Binocs Show | Best Learning Videos For Kids | Peekaboo Kidz

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Dive into the world of allergies, from common triggers to rare reactions. Learn how the immune system works and why some people develop allergies.

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Achoo! Every time you go near your best friend's cat, your eyes water and you start sneezing up a storm. And every spring and fall, your dad gets a runny nose when he takes you for hikes in the woods.

What's going on? Well, you and your dad might have allergies.

Chain Reaction

An allergy (say: AL-ur-jee) is your immune system's reaction to certain plants, animals, foods, insect bites, or other things. Your immune system protects you from diseases by fighting germs like bacteria and viruses. But when you have allergies, it overreacts and tries to "fight" ordinary things like grass, pollen, or certain foods. This causes the sneezing, itching, and other reactions that you get with allergies.

The substances that cause allergies (grass, pollen, foods, pet byproducts, insects, etc.) are called allergens (say: AL-ur-jenz). When your immune (say: ih-MYOON) system reacts to one of these allergens and you have symptoms, you may be allergic to it.

What Causes the Sneezing and Wheezing?

You can be allergic to many things. Common allergens include:

dust mites (tiny insects that live in dust)

a protein found in the dander (dry skin), saliva (spit), urine (pee), or other things from some animals

grass, flower, and tree pollen (the fine dust from plants)

mold and mildew (small living things that grow in damp places)

foods, such as milk, wheat, soy, eggs, nuts, seafood, and legumes (say: leh-GYOOMS), which include peas, beans, and peanuts

latex (stretchy stuff that some of the gloves doctors and dentists use are made of)

Symptoms

Some of these allergens cause sneezing, a runny nose, itchy eyes and ears, and a sore throat. Other items on the list, such as foods, may cause hives (a red, bumpy, itchy skin rash), a stuffy nose, stomach cramps, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Less often, allergens can cause breathing problems like wheezing and shortness of breath (asthma). Some allergens, such as foods, are a problem all year long. But others might bother people only during certain seasons. For instance, you might be allergic to pollen from trees, which is present in the air only in the spring.

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Why Do Some Kids Get Allergies?

People may be born with a genetic (say: juh-NET-ik) tendency to have allergies, which means they are more likely to get them than other people are. Many allergies are hereditary (say: huh-REH-dih-tare-ee) - passed to kids in the genes they get from their parents - so you have a better chance of having allergies if your mom or dad or other people in your family have them.

People can develop allergies when they are babies, children, teens, or adults, although allergies often decrease in older people.

Many people outgrow food allergies. Other allergies can last your whole life, although they may be less severe or more severe at different points in your life.

Colds vs. Allergies

Sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference between a cold and an allergy because the symptoms can be similar. If your cold symptoms last more than 2 weeks, you probably have an allergy instead of a cold.

There are other differences between colds and allergies you can look for. With allergies, your nose and eyes itch. Colds don't itch. The mucus, the stuff that comes from your nose or that you cough up, is different, too. With allergies, it's clear like water. With a cold, it's usually yellowish and thick.

How Do I Find Out if I Have Allergies?

If you sneeze and itch a lot, wheeze, or often get sick after eating a certain food, your doctor may want to check you for allergies. He or she will ask you a lot of questions about your health, about the animals and plants in your home, and about the foods you eat. Your answers will provide clues about what you might be allergic to, and your doctor may ask you to stay away from a pet or stop eating a certain food to see if your symptoms go away.

Your doctor may send you to an allergist (say: AL- ur-jist), a special doctor who helps people who have allergies. An allergist may give you a scratch test to see if a tiny bit of an allergen will cause a reaction on your skin. You'll feel a quick pinch when the doctor makes the scratch or scratches. If you're allergic, one or more spots will become bumpy, itchy, and red - like a mosquito bite.

Some doctors also might test a kid's blood to look for IgE, a substance called an antibody (say: AN-tie-bah-dee) that signals an allergic reaction. If you have large amounts of this antibody in your blood, you are probably allergic to the allergen.

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Taking Control

Your doctor will probably suggest ways to stay away from the allergen or prescribe a medicine for you to try. Allergy medicine can be pills, liquids, or even sprays for your nose. If your allergies aren't too bad or if you can avoid the allergen completely, you might not need to take medicine - staying away from the allergen might be enough to control your allergy.

If your symptoms don't get better by staying away from allergens and taking medicines, an allergist might recommend allergy shots. These shots make your immune system less sensitive to the allergens and can make you feel better.

Unfortunately, shots and most medicines don't help with food allergies. People with food allergies have to learn to avoid any foods that have the ingredients they're allergic to. Your parents and your doctor can help you read the ingredients on food labels. Luckily, many kids outgrow allergies to milk, eggs, wheat, and soy. But allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and seafood may last a long time, or not go away at all.

Fighting on the Allergy Front

You might not be able to control your allergies completely, but you can do yourself a favor by avoiding anything that causes your allergy symptoms.

Pets. If you are allergic to an animal, you might have to find a new home for your pet. If you can't do that, it can help to keep pets out of your bedroom, have someone bathe them at least once a week, or have the animal live outside. You'll also want to avoid pets at other people's homes.

Dust mites. If dust mites are your trouble, your mom or dad can use special covers for your bed and wash your sheets and blankets in very hot water to get rid of them. Keeping your room neat and clean also will help. Store stuffed animals or other stuff that attracts dust somewhere other than your room.

Food allergies. If you have food allergies, always read food labels to check the ingredients and learn the different names for the food allergen. Even though you may have eaten a food before, always check the label because ingredients may change. If you're not sure about a food, don't eat it. Instead, ask a grownup if it's safe. Your mom or dad can help teach you which foods and ingredients you should avoid.

Also, your parents can help you pack safe snacks for occasions away from home when everyone else might be having something you can't, such as peanut butter ice cream. Then, instead of feeling left out, you can snack along with your friends - without risking an allergy attack and, even worse, having to go home early!

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Achoo! Every time you go near your best friend's cat, your eyes water and you start sneezing up a storm. And every spring and fall, your dad gets a runny nose when he takes you for hikes in the woods. What's going on? Well, you and your dad might have allergies.

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Cystic Fibrosis: Understanding Genetic Disorders

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Cystic Fibrosis: Understanding Genetic Disorders

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Explore cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and other organs. Learn about its causes, symptoms, and how research is improving treatments.

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Rare But Real: Exploring Uncommon Illnesses

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Rare But Real: Exploring Uncommon Illnesses

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Discover some of the rarest diseases in the world and how they impact people's lives. Learn about the challenges of diagnosing and treating rare conditions.

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The Human Genome Project: Unlocking Our Health Secrets

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The Human Genome Project: Unlocking Our Health Secrets

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Learn about the groundbreaking Human Genome Project and how it's helping scientists understand and treat various genetic diseases and disorders.

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Before the project began some scientists had studied certain individual genes. They knew what those genes did and what DNA bases they were made of. But scientists wanted to know much more about the whole genome. The main goals of the project were to find out the sequence, or order, of all of the DNA bases in the human genome and to identify all human genes. They also wanted to be able to store the information so that they could continue to study and learn from it.

Thousands of scientists from many countries worked on the Human Genome Project. First they cut up the DNA into small sections. Then computers worked out the order of the different bases in each section. The scientists then figured out which bases made up genes and which did not. Genes make up only about 2 percent of the human genome. As computers improved, the mapping got faster. The first draft of the human genome was published in 2000, and a more complete version was published in 2003.

The scientists made many discoveries during the project. They learned that there are far fewer genes than they had thought. They also found that 99.9 percent of one human's genome is identical to that of another. It is the 0.1 percent that makes people different.

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The Human Genome Project, also known as HGP, was an international effort to discover the exact makeup of the genetic material that controls the way human beings develop and...

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Understanding Depression: It's More Than Just Feeling Sad

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Understanding Depression: It's More Than Just Feeling Sad

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Explore depression, a common mental health condition that affects people of all ages. Learn about its symptoms, causes, and the importance of seeking help.

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Discover what Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is, how it affects learning and behavior, and strategies to manage it effectively.

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NCMH (National Centre for Mental Health)

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Learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), its characteristics, and why it's important to understand and accept neurodiversity in our society.

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Autism Speaks does not provide medical or legal advice or services. Rather, Autism Speaks provides general information about autism as a service to the community. The information provided on our website is not a recommendation, referral or endorsement of any resource, therapeutic method, or service provider and does not replace the advice of medical, legal or educational professionals. Autism Speaks has not validated and is not responsible for any information, events, or services provided by third parties. The views and opinions expressed in blogs on our website do not necessarily reflect the views of Autism Speaks.

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Explore how vaccines work, their history, and why they're crucial in preventing the spread of dangerous diseases. Learn about herd immunity and vaccine schedules.

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Healthy Habits: Your Shield Against Illness

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Healthy Habits: Your Shield Against Illness

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Discover the power of simple habits like handwashing, proper nutrition, and regular exercise in preventing various diseases and maintaining overall health.

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Epidemics and Pandemics: When Diseases Go Global

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Epidemics and Pandemics: When Diseases Go Global

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Learn about the difference between epidemics and pandemics, famous historical outbreaks, and how public health officials work to control the spread of diseases.