Patient's question:
Child is 3 years old. This year, it was found that the child has allergic asthma, but the child has geographic tongue. Recently, there have been problems with heat in the body. It is said that children's vitamin chewable tablets can treat geographic tongue, but the instructions say to use with caution for sensitive constitutions. I don't know if it can be taken.Doctor's answer:
It is recommended to use single-agent preparations such as vitamin B2 instead of compounded vitamins. Traditional Chinese medicine formulas can be used to treat conditions by paying attention to oral hygiene, eliminating irritants, and focusing on diet and digestive function. A 2% sodium bicarbonate solution or a 2% sodium borate solution can be used for gargling. Generally, individuals who are prone to allergic reactions and allergic diseases but cannot find the cause of their condition are referred to as having a "allergic constitution." People with a "allergic constitution" can experience various allergic reactions and allergic diseases, such as some suffering from eczema or urticaria, others from allergic asthma, and some being particularly sensitive to certain medications, which can lead to drug-induced dermatitis or even exfoliative dermatitis. However, occasional high reactivity to a known factor does not qualify as a "allergic constitution." The causes of a "allergic constitution" are complex and diverse. From an immunological perspective, people with a "allergic constitution" often exhibit the following characteristics: ① Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the antibody that mediates allergic reactions. In normal individuals, serum IgE levels are extremely low, whereas in some people with a "allergic constitution," serum IgE levels can be 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than normal. ② In normal individuals, helper T cells 1 (Th1) and helper T cells 2 (Th2) maintain a certain ratio, working together to keep the immune system balanced. People with a "allergic constitution" often have an advantage in Th2 cells. Th2 cells secrete a substance called interleukin-4 (IL-4), which induces the synthesis of IgE, leading to elevated serum IgE levels. ③ A normal human gastrointestinal tract contains various digestive enzymes that completely break down protein-rich foods before absorption into the bloodstream. However, people with a "allergic constitution" may lack these digestive enzymes, causing proteins to be incompletely digested before absorption, which introduces foreign proteins into the body and triggers gastrointestinal allergic reactions. These patients often also lack secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), a protective antibody found on the intestinal mucosa. The absence of sIgA can allow intestinal bacteria to cause inflammation on the mucosal surface, accelerating the absorption of foreign proteins and inducing gastrointestinal allergic reactions. ④ A normal human body contains a certain amount of histamine enzymes, which break down histamine released by certain cells during allergic reactions (histamine can cause smooth muscle contraction, capillary dilation, and increased permeability, among other effects). Therefore, even if normal individuals have an allergic reaction to certain substances, the symptoms are not prominent. However, people with a "allergic constitution" may lack histamine enzymes, unable to break down histamine that triggers allergic reactions, leading to obvious allergic symptoms. The fundamental cause of these immunological abnormalities is often closely related to genetics.