Allergist - Who Is He And What Treats? Appointment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Allergist

An allergist is a doctor who deals with the occurrence, course, and prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.

Allergology is a branch of medicine that studies allergic reactions and diseases associated with them, finds out their etiological causes, mechanisms of development and clinical manifestations. In addition, allergology develops methods for diagnosing, treating and preventing allergies in humans.

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Content:

• What is an allergist?
• What does an allergist do?
• What diseases does an allergist treat?
• Organs treated by an allergist
• When should you see an allergist?
• What tests do I need to pass?
• When should you take your child to an appointment?
• Make an appointment with an allergist

What is an allergist?

As a separate branch in medicine, allergology emerged relatively recently and remains inextricably linked with many disciplines, and first of all with immunology. Every year, the number of patients suffering from allergies increases, which makes the allergist a highly sought-after specialist.

It is important that the doctor not only possesses an impressive base of knowledge in his field, but also knows how to put it into practice, can differentiate a cold illness and an allergy attack in a patient. To identify the reasons, to prescribe adequate treatment - these are the primary tasks facing the specialist.

An allergist is a doctor who is engaged in the prevention of hay fever, food allergies and other types of allergic reactions, solves problems with the correction of the immune system, and gives recommendations regarding proper nutrition and lifestyle in general. If necessary, the doctor recommends that the patient visit other specialists, such as: immunologist, nutritionist, dermatologist, ophthalmologist, gastroenterologist, otolaryngologist, etc.

What does an allergist do?

It is often difficult to identify the cause of the body's allergic reaction on its own. In this case, a specialist comes to the rescue.

Its main activities are as follows:

• Diagnostics, therapy and prevention of bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, conjunctivitis, hay fever, rhinitis, Quincke's edema and other diseases.
• Appointment of full sub-seasonal, short or year-round allergen-specific therapy.
• Diagnostics and correction of the state of immunity.
• Restoration and further maintenance of the protective functions of the body.

Many diseases are known that occur against the background of reduced immunity, allergic reactions of the body are no exception. Therefore, you can often hear the combination of the words allergist-immunologist. The specificity of the activity of this doctor includes not only the fight against allergic manifestations of the body, but also the normalization of the immune status.

What diseases does an allergist treat?

The doctor deals with the treatment of many diseases, however, most often, he has to deal with the following diseases:

• Hay fever;
• Chronic rhinitis that follows the patient all year round, of an allergic nature;
• Conjunctivitis of allergic origin;
• Bronchial asthma; (Read also: first signs and symptoms, causes and treatment of bronchial asthma)
• Acute and chronic urticaria;
• Dermatitis is atopic, contact, seborrheic;
• Food, insect (insect bite reaction), and drug allergies;
• Diseases provoked by secondary immunodeficiency;
• Diseases of the respiratory system, both upper and lower, with an allergic basis;
• Recurrent viral diseases, such as herpes; (Read also: description, symptoms and treatment of all types of herpes virus)
• Recurrent purulent diseases, for example, furunculosis;
• Mycotic lesions not amenable to therapy;
• Gynecological diseases such as papilloma virus;
• Chronic fatigue syndrome;
• Itching of the skin, of unexplained etiology and unrecoverable;
• Chronic urological diseases.

Visiting an allergist is important, first of all, so that adequate treatment is prescribed that will not harm the human body. So, treating an allergic rhinitis with cold preparations, you can disrupt the balance in the body. The allergen will not stop its pathological influence, since it will not be identified and eliminated. As a result, a runny nose becomes chronic, then a cough joins it, in the end, a person begins to suffer from bronchitis, and subsequently from bronchial asthma. That is why timely consultation with an allergist is so important.

Organs treated by an allergist

Due to the specifics of the activity, the allergist is competent to treat the following organs:

• Bronchi;
• Lungs;
• Leather;
• Nasopharynx;
• Eyes.

When should you see an allergist?

You need to visit a doctor when you find the first signs of an allergic reaction.

It is important to know the symptoms of this process in order not to waste time and start treatment as early as possible:

• Itching in the nose, nasal congestion, sneezing.
• Chronic rhinitis. (Read also: runny nose (rhinitis). Causes, symptoms and types)
• The occurrence of a cold, depending on the season. Most often, hay fever occurs at the same time and coincides with the flowering of certain grasses, trees, etc.
• A paroxysmal cough that is not accompanied by sputum. This cough does not stop for a long time.
• Sudden shortness of breath, spasms of the respiratory system, feeling of lack of oxygen.
• The appearance of discharge from the eyes, their hyperemia, irritation.
• Rash on the skin accompanied by persistent itching.
• In addition, the doctor can help the patient identify the cause of the following conditions:
• Frequent relapses of chronic diseases;
• Insomnia, either persistent or intermittent;
• Excessive fatigue;
• Low level of performance;
• The appearance of headaches, which are accompanied by the intake of the same food or food product;

What tests do I need to take when contacting an allergist?

The doctor, depending on the patient's complaints and the symptoms he has, will recommend that the patient pass one or more of the following tests:

• Scraping from the tonsils, the surface of the tongue, from the ear canal for further cytological examination. This analysis is performed when a mycotic lesion is suspected.
• Stool analysis, to exclude dysbiosis or to identify sensitivity to bacteriophages.
• Blood for bacteriological culture.
• Determination of the flora of abscesses, scrapings from the surface of the dermis, from the ear canals, etc.
• PCR diagnostics to detect a specific virus, bacteria or mycoplasma.
• Analysis of blood serum for specific IgE, total IgE, which indicate sensitivity to pollen, dust, fungal and food allergens, etc.
• Execution of test methods, for example, princ-testing, scarification test.

The diagnostic plan of the examination can be changed. Sometimes an X-ray, CT or MRI scan, a provocative test with allergens, etc. is required.

When should you take your child to an allergist appointment?

An allergist is a doctor who treats not only adults but also children. If a child develops allergy symptoms that are similar to those of adults, you should immediately consult a doctor for advice. The fact is that the immune defense of children is not fully formed. If an existing allergy is not detected in time, it will become a serious threat to the health and even the life of the child.

Particularly attentive parents need to be with children under the age of one year when they begin to introduce the first complementary foods. In general, when introducing new food products, you need to monitor the reaction of the child's body and, if necessary, consult a doctor.

Read more: Causes, symptoms and treatment of allergies