Can allergies be caused by early age fever attacks?

No, no, no and no. Early age fever attacks reduce a baby' susceptibility to allergies before the ages 6 or 7 according to the study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). Parents often get worried when their beloved babies suffer from repeated bouts of fever before their first birthday. According to scientist and researchers, the more your child suffers from hayfever before his/her first birthday, the lesser the allergic sensitivity.

Various questions can be asked about these findings. Some of the questions people have ask about early fevers and allergies include:

1. Do children who experience fevers before their first birthday develop allergies by the age of six or seven?
   
   Yes they do, but their immune system is less likely to respond sensitively to allergens or what other infants' immune systems may interpret as harmful. Apparently, early age exposure to infections may protect children against allergies in the later years. However, letting your children suffer from infections for the sake of preventing allergies is not the best way to go.
   
   You can at least ensure that your child is having an allergy free diet, by breastfeeding instead of giving him cereals that contain soy, wheat and/or dairy preservatives. You can alternatively give your child the nutramigen formula (cereals that are no milk or soy-based).
   
   
2. How can I prevent my child from getting allergies?
   
   The best way to go is avoiding your infant from exposure to any possible allergen that may trigger allergic reactions. Remember, an allergy occurs when your child's immune system is tricked into believing that a particular substance is harmful to the body. Your child's immune system then causes him/her to sneeze any substance that it views as an allergen.
   
   Common allergens include animal dander, skin flakes, pollen, molds, dust mites, dust etc. certain foods such as wheat, soy, milk, dairy products, peanuts etc. may also trick your child's immune system. Proper allergy diet like breastfeeding may help strengthen your child's immune system and lessen his/her risk of developing allergies when he/she grows up.
   
   
3. Do infants that get fever more than once become sensitive to allergies?
   
   Infants whose immune systems battle with infections earlier in their lifetime are less likely to develop allergies when they grow older. According to the study funded by NIAID, most children who did not experience fever in their first year, half developed an allergic sensitivity by the time they reach seven.
   
   
4. Could early exposure to dogs lower allergy risk?
   
   Since the NIAID findings on early fevers and allergies, most people become uncertain and wonder whether or not they should expose their children to allergens with the idea of preventing allergies.
   
   About 43 % of infants in families with low exposure to dogs suffer from eczema which is the most common symptom of an allergic reaction. Meanwhile, only 12.3% of those infants from families with high exposure to dogs develop allergies.

Additional topics

• Hayfever
• Allergies
• Could I have Asthma?
• Asthma in women