You have a runny nose and cough, and sneezing too: Maybe the problem is caused by a plant that has spread throughout Croatia

Given climate change, i.e. warming, it can be said that the entire year is subject to higher temperatures, so pollination, that is spring, already begins in the first or second month and ends in December, says Dr. Nogalo.

“At this moment, the problem is the flowering of ragweed, which has spread throughout Croatia. This is a problem for which it is constantly being promised that it will be solved. Today, it is considered that around 20-25 percent of the population suffers from some kind of allergy, and of that only 15 percent relates to ragweed. It is believed that in the next 50 years that number will increase two to three times,” says Dr. Nogalo.

Redness, sneezing, runny nose, coughing

What should parents pay attention to when it comes to allergies in children? “There is an allergic march, so when a child is born, the allergy relates to the digestive system. In the first year, changes occur on the skin, redness, eczema, while in the third year asthmatic attacks occur, difficult breathing, tightness in the chest, air hunger, severe coughing at night, the need for inhalers to make breathing easier. By the age of seven or eight, allergic rhinitis is dominant,” explains our interviewee.

How then can allergy symptoms be distinguished from a cold? “In children, the most common problem is a runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, coughing… If the cough is deeper, then from allergic rhinitis or allergic conjunctivitis it spreads to the lower airways and leads to allergic asthma. I have often seen in my practice that certain allergies are mistaken for a cold.

But it is necessary to understand that if this sneezing, runny nose, and coughing last a long time without fever and if they occur in certain seasons, spring grass and leafing of trees, autumn ragweed, winter mites, then the child should definitely be taken for an allergy examination. It is a very simple procedure, and when treated in time, more serious consequences are also prevented,” says Dr. Nogalo.

Allergy is non-infectious inflammation

Children who stay in group settings, kindergartens, schools, often sneeze and cough, says our interviewee, but a cough that lasts longer and occurs often without fever must undergo an allergy examination so that there are no unwanted consequences. “Allergy is inflammation, only it is non-infectious. Such inflammation is the basis for the development of problems, whether it is asthma or frequent throat or ear infections, pneumonia, it is very important that this is diagnostically differentiated,” says our interviewee.

At the end, Dr. Nogalo says that the situation is very bad everywhere, including in Zagreb, when it comes to pediatric care. For example, in Prečko there is currently no pediatrician, so they are lacking everywhere, and that may be one of the reasons why allergies are being diagnosed later and later.

Dr. Nogalo believes that pediatricians over 65 years of age should be included in order to help and actually reduce waiting lists in hospitals, which for children are now somewhere as long as seven or eight months. In addition, he believes that local self-government units, but also the state, should send as many doctors as possible for pediatric specialization because, as Dr. Nogalo says, many problems that appear later can be prevented and treated at a younger age.

Written by: Mirela Pejaković Levstek, Source: zagreb.info