Here’s how to help protect your kids from allergy and asthma triggers during the school year.
Autumn is in full swing and the excitement (or dread) of heading back to school seems like a distant memory for most kids. However, while children have been settled into their school routines for weeks now, if you have a child with asthma or allergies, you’re likely not so settled.
“When children head back to school in the fall, they face a challenging time with allergies and asthma triggers, and so do their parents,” says Joel Mendelson, MD, Director of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at RWJBarnabas Health.
Even if you’ve worked to keep such triggers at bay in your home, environmental allergens like dust, dander and pollen are usually present and often prevalent in school buildings and classrooms. This can cause kids to experience renewed allergy attacks, making them feel miserable and adversely affecting their concentration and performance in class.
“These environmental allergies can be quite a burden for families to deal with,” says Dr. Mendelson.
Common Allergens and Asthma Triggers
The early days and weeks of the new school year coincide with seasonal changes, which can last well into fall and which can be especially difficult for children with asthma and allergies.
“Asthma can be triggered by weather,” Dr. Mendelson explains. “A new allergy season begins in mid August, featuring ragweed and the pollens of other weeds, and it lasts through the first frost, usually in November. Some children are unable to handle the switch from warm to cold, which can cause coughing and wheezing.”
During other seasons, pollen also comes from trees, plants and grasses. These common triggers can cause red eyes, coughing and sneezing.
“Pollen has become the most common environmental allergen,” says Dr. Mendelson. “This is largely due to the growth of greenhouse gases; pollen loves a greenhouse.”
According to Dr. Mendelson, there’s clear evidence that over the past 15 years pollen seasons have started earlier, ended later, and produced more pollen because of climate change. Another, more obscure, trigger is called thunderstorm asthma.
“This relates to those who have pollen allergies,” Dr. Mendelson notes. “There is an environmental change that takes place just before a storm that permits pollen to rise up in the air to breathing levels and can result in sudden onset asthma episodes.”
What Parents Can Do
Parents can request that classroom windows be closed whenever pollen counts are high. This can also help with mold and dust allergies. However, closed windows are a problem when there are viruses, such as COVID-19, that require increased ventilation for classroom safety.
“In these cases, masking definitely helps for both allergy and disease prevention,” says Dr. Mendelson. “Eyeglasses are also protective, especially sports eyeglasses.”
Other Allergens and Asthma Triggers
- Mold spores are another allergen prevalent in autumn. When leaves drop to the ground, they produce mold, which becomes airborne. Indoor mold can be found in dark, humid areas of buildings, such as basements, and near leaking pipes and water fixtures. Inhaled mold spores can result in coughing, sneezing and wheezing. Since mold allergies are more prevalent in warm weather, asking schools to control temperature and humidity with air conditioners and air filters can be helpful. Visual inspection is often enough to locate mold, which can be eliminated with a bleach cleaning solution.
- Dust mites are yet another source of allergies and the primary source of allergens in indoor dust. They’re typically harbored in carpet, upholstery and clothing. These virtually invisible mites feed on dead skin scales, and their fecal pellets are the main allergen source.
What Parents Can Do
Installing air filters and keeping rooms vacuumed and dusted can help control these mites.
- Pet dander is an allergen that can be transported to school on the clothing of students with household pets, causing a reaction in anyone who sits in the same vicinity. Cat dander is a particularly potent asthma trigger. Classroom animals, such as rabbits and mice, may also trigger allergic and asthma symptoms. These animals should be kept in areas separate from students.
What Parents Can Do
Since dander is often hidden in carpets and drapery, dusting and vacuuming rooms can help keep it at bay. And make sure to ask your child not to share sweaters or coats with other students.
Other Preventative Measures
Besides these steps, there are other preventative actions a parent can take during the school year to advocate for an allergic child.
If you suspect your child is allergic, but don’t have a clear diagnosis, it’s crucial to initiate testing with a board certified allergist. If a child tests positive and you discover particular allergens, make certain your child is aware of triggers and symptoms and how to manage them.
Make an appointment to visit the school and make sure your child’s teachers, the school administrator and nursing staff are aware of your child’s specific allergies and have a copy of your child’s treatment plan, including medications. It’s also important that emergency treatments are available at school, including anaphylaxis medications such as epinephrine (epi-pens). These interventions are vital for minimizing allergic reactions as well as enabling your allergic child to perform well in school—no matter what the season.
For more information or to make an appointment with a pediatric specialist at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center), call 973.926.7280