Allergic Reaction

What is an allergy?

An allergy is when the body has a reaction to a trigger. Allergic reactions usually happen within a few minutes of contact but can be delayed by a few hours.

Most allergic reactions are mild, but more severe reactions can occur. Sometimes mild reactions can develop quickly into a more severe reaction.

The most severe reaction is called anaphylaxis (ana-fill-axis) and can be life threatening. The signs of this are in the red box below. Children with severe allergic reactions need emergency hospital treatment. Ring 999 immediately for help if your child is having a severe reaction.

If your child has a mild allergic reaction immediately contact your GP or call NHS 111.

Common triggers for allergy are:

Foods such as nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs and some fruits
Medicines
Bee stings
Wasp stings
Latex (a type of rubber found in some rubber gloves)

When should you worry?

If your child has any of the following:

Feeling of tightness in the chest or throat
Swelling of the mouth, face, tongue or lips
Breathing fast, too breathless to talk, eat or drink
Harsh noise as they breathe in (stridor)
Working hard to breathe, drawing in of the muscles below the ribs (recession), or noisy breathing (grunting)
Persistent coughing
Is pale, blue, mottled or feels unusually cold to touch
Feels dizzy, faints or collapses
Difficult to wake up, very sleepy or confused
Has a fit (seizure)
Has a rash that does not go away with pressure (the ‘Glass Test’)

You need urgent help.

Phone 999 and say that your child is having anaphylaxis (ana-fill-axis)

If you have an allergy action plan - please follow it and give your emergency medication

If your child has any of the following:

Itchy skin or a raised rash (hives)
Tingling of mouth
Dry skin, lips or tongue
Not had a wee or wet nappy in the last 8 hours
Poor feeding in babies (less than half their usual amount)
Irritable (Unable to settle them with toys, TV, food or hugs even after their fever has come down)
They are having allergic reactions frequently or you are not sure what they are allergic to
Getting worse and I am still worried

You need to contact a doctor or nurse today.

Please ring your GP surgery or call NHS 111 - dial 111

Please give your child antihistamine medicine if possible

If symptoms persist for 4 hours or more and you have not been able to speak to
either a member of staff from your GP practice or to NHS 111 staff, recheck that your child has not developed any red features

If none of the above features are present:

Watch them closely for any change and look out for any red or amber symptoms
Additional advice is also available to young families for coping with crying of well babies - click here.
If your child has a long term condition or disability and you are worried please contact your regular team or follow any plans that they have given you.

Self care

Continue providing your child’s care at home. If you are still concerned about your child, call NHS 111 – dial 111

This guidance has been reviewed and adapted by healthcare professionals across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw with consent from the Hampshire development groups.

What can I do?

If you are worried that your child is having a severe allergic reaction, you need to call 999 for an ambulance immediately and state anaphylaxis (ana-fill-axis).

If your child has an adrenaline autoinjector (Epi-pen) use it immediately
Remove the trigger which caused the reaction if you can
Sit them up if they are having difficulty breathing
Do not stand them up or move them
You can give a second dose of adrenaline (Epi-pen) after 5 minutes

If you have had to use your child’s autoinjector (Epi-pen) then they should always go to hospital for further observation.

If your child is having a mild to moderate allergic reaction, give them an antihistamine medicine to help with the symptoms.

If your child has had an allergic reaction you should avoid the trigger whenever possible.

Contact your GP if your child has had an allergic reaction.

Further information

Allergy UK has information on anaphylaxis

Beat Anaphylaxis has information for children, young people, families and professionals

Itchy Sneezy Wheezy has a series of videos on food allergy, anaphylaxis and how to use an epipen

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