Allergology

Allergic disease may affect not only the skin (i.e. atopic dermatitis), but also the gastrointestinal tract, pulmonary system as well as other organ systems.

They have an immediate-type nature, such as anaphylactic shock or be tricky, masked by other diseases and difficult to recognize. Symptoms may be caused by foods, chemical additives, plant pollen, animal skin cells, (dust) mites or fungi. Symptoms can present seasonally or be present all year round. A chronic allergy may lead to a decreased quality of life (and family life), decreased school and preschool results as well as problems at work in later life. It is not worth it to passively wait and allow a chronic allergic inflammation to develop in a given order.

The foundation of treatment includes not only medication(s) but also avoidance of exposing one’s self to the allergens causing the inflammatory reaction. Because of this, it is absolutely necessary to find out what is triggering a given reaction in a patient. In cases of immediate allergies, we perform skin prick tests, IgE-specific allergen assays (bloodwork) as well as test related to molecular allergology (ISAC, FABER tests). For delayed allergies (late-type) we perform (atopy) patch tests and bloodwork including tests on chemical food additives. If the results of these tests are inconclusive then it might be necessary to perform a food provocation. Minimizing exposure to a food allergen early in the disorder helps in acquiring a tolerance to it in the diet. This is good information – a food allergy doesn’t not have to be life-long.