For more than 30 years, our team of board-certified allergists has helped Lowcountry allergy sufferers relieve their symptoms and live their best lives. We’ve seen every kind of patient and type of allergy over the years, and we’ve learned that allergies have no age restriction.

At what age do allergy symptoms appear?

While allergies can develop later in life, it is most common for symptoms to develop when we are young, with environmental allergies, or allergic rhinitis, often appearing within our first few years of life. These allergies include dust mites, animal dander, pollen, mold and other airborne allergens.

Environmentally-linked allergic antibodies, as well as food allergies and insect sting allergies, can begin to be produced as young as infancy. Common signs of an allergic reaction can include:

• Hives or itchy skin
• Rashes
• Nasal congestion or sneezing
• Itchy or watery eyes
• Wheezing or difficulty breathing
• Anaphylaxis

If you or your child is regularly experiencing one or more of these symptoms, you may be living with an undiagnosed allergy. Our team of board-certified allergists is available to help you identify and develop a plan to treat these symptoms.

When can a patient begin receiving allergy testing/treatments?

Just as symptoms can develop in infancy, so can allergy testing and treatments. It is common to wait until a patient is at least one year old before beginning tests for allergies causing nasal symptoms, such as hay fever. 

However, there is technically no medical deterrent to stop from testing sooner. In fact, young children who experience recurrent wheezing have an increased risk of developing asthma as they grow up if these symptoms are left untreated.

It’s also important to remember that allergen avoidance is not the only option for allergy sufferers. Immunotherapy, commonly known as allergy shots, is considered to be the closest thing to an allergy cure, and treatments can begin to be administered to patients as young as five years old. 

Breathe easier with Charleston Allergy and Asthma!

Do you or a loved one feel held back by burdensome allergy symptoms? Our board-certified allergists at Charleston Allergy and Asthma are here for you! Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our team of skilled allergy doctors and begin your journey toward symptom relief!