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Allergy Diagnosis
Everyone is individually unique. Allergy tests provide concrete
specific information about what you are and are not allergic to. You
or your attending physician need not to guess inaccurately any
longer. Be certain. No more guessing!
Skin Testing for allergy
There are various methods for allergy testing. The simplest of
which are skin prick testing or intra-dermal testing. Although slightly
cheaper, these tests cannot be carried out on patients who are on
many common medications, may not be as accurate unless done
properly by highly trained personnel, may cause minor pain and
discomfort with multiple needles being utilized and most
importantly although rare, carry an increased risk of severe side
effects such as anaphylaxis. The number of substances being
tested are also very limited. This is still a
good but basic testing modality.
In-Vitro Testing
Assessing the level of allergen- specific
IgE in a patient's serum in conjunction
with a clinical evaluation based on
patient history and subsequent testing can help a doctor confirm a
diagnosis of atopic allergy and assist in the treatment of the patient.
Treatment Options
Once a diagnosis of atopic allergy to one or more specific
substances is made, doctors have several treatment options to
consider:
Have patients avoid subsequent exposure to identified
allergen(s)
Employ a course of state of the art pharmacotherapy to
treat allergic symptoms
Immunotherapy
Desensitize patient with Immunotherapy that employs
controlled, prolonged exposure to specifically identified
allergens. Sublingual Allergen Immunotherapy (SLIT) and
Specific (Injectable Subcutaneous) Immunotherapy (SIT)
is a highly effective treatment for carefully selected
patients who have allergy to cat/dog/horses and allergic
rhinitis due to house dust mites, grass pollens, certain tree
pollens and certain weed pollens. It is effective in selected
asthmatics but is not effective for food allergies or eczema.
The course of treatment is for 3 years and this confers
immunity to the specific allergen for up to 10 years and
also decreases the onset of new allergies for many
years after.
In any case, the success of treatment depends upon an
accurate identification of the offending allergen(s) and a
knowledge of the patient to subsequent allergen exposure.
More information about Immunotherapy
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