You may not think that there is any correlation between your health and the month you were born or the season you were born. However, there is actually something to it and if you are born during a certain season you are likely to be more prone to a certain number of conditions. That means babies born during the months of September, October, November, and early December are more prone to allergies, hay fever, and asthma. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is different as babies born in March, April, May, and early June would also be prone to those conditions considering it is the fall there at that time.
What Is The Connection To Fall Babies Growing Up Being Prone To Allergies, Hay Fever, And Asthma?
Researchers have found this and Dr. Jessica Hui who is a scientist of the National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado stated reasons for that. She said when they look at infants and children at their clinics born in the fall, they exhibit those symptoms. The allergies that they suffer from range anywhere between food allergies that can be fatal to severe allergies to typical allergens such as mold, pollen, and dust.
These conditions she stated stems from the bacteria on the skin. Allergies begin in infancy as allergens pass through cracked and dry skin which is expected to happen during the winter months as eczema is quite common in babies. This causes a chain reaction of diseases that are allergic by nature called the atopic march.
Babies and children that have eczema also have astronomical levels of bacteria that is harmful which is known as staph aureus on their skin. That is what does not allow them to keep disease-causing pathogens and allergens out of their system. Allergens that enter the bloodstream are seen as foreign substances by the immune system and the response from the immune system is to send out histamine and other antibodies. Histamine fights off the allergen and it is what causes hives and swelling. And if the allergy is severe, it can cause anaphylaxis which can be lethal. That is why those with severe food allergies need to carry ephedrine to counteract the histamine and allergic reaction in the system.
Therefore, the reason that food allergies are known to happen is that the cracks in the skin allow food particles to enter the bloodstream as the child is eating a certain food. And then the immune system attacks them and then that is how the allergies develop. This is why these allergies happen the most in the fall due to this reason that the skin is most vulnerable to cracking and peeling. Therefore, pathogens and allergens have an easy way to enter the bloodstream.
And in addition to that, severe allergies to normal allergens that are non-food but of pollen, dust, and mold can cause asthma as well. These allergens can also get into the bloodstream from cracked skin. Asthma is the narrowing of the bronchial tubes which makes it very hard for the sufferer to breathe which is why they need a puffer to help keep the airways open. Therefore, in addition to that, this also makes sufferers prone to hay fever even if they don’t develop asthma. They still are likely to be severely allergic to these pathogens.
How Can Babies Born In The Fall Be Protected From Developing Allergies, Asthma, And Hay Fever?
There are trials conducted right now to determine what the cause for the skin’s barrier weakening in infants during the winter months as babies born in autumn are the most susceptible to. Dr. Hui hopes that if the intervention can happen at an early age, especially after the baby is born, then this can potentially stop the cases of the development of the atopic march.
What parents can do in the meantime is to use a baby-safe moisturizer to help keep the skin nourished and hydrated so eczema is less like to happen. This can help reduce the risk of them developing allergies and asthma, but it won’t necessarily eliminate this problem. The cause of the barrier weakening needs to be determined and treated immediately in order for the issue to stop completely.
If you were born in the autumn and you suffer from any of these issues or all of these issues, then you will have a better understanding as to why that is. Hopefully, the trials conducted may end up helping older children and adults who were born in the fall and suffer from these conditions as well.
