Allergology

Allergology is a field of clinical medicine whose objectives are to study the causes and mechanisms of allergic reactions, their symptoms, as well as to develop methods for diagnosing, preventing and treating allergies. Allergology studies reactions in the body after contact with a wide variety of allergens, so the main task is to identify the substance that provokes the appearance of hypersensitivity.

A specialist who represents this field of medicine is an allergist.

Symptoms that require you to see an allergist:

• runny nose;
• nasal congestion;
• cough;
• sneezing;
• lacrimation;
• redness and burning sensation in the eyes;
• skin redness and itching;
• rashes;
• swelling of the face and larynx;
• difficulty breathing;
• paroxysmal coughing or suffocation symptoms.

The presence of these signs, which occur periodically or seasonally, as well as upon contact with a certain allergen, is a reason to make an appointment with an allergist.

Diseases that are studied by allergology:

• bronchial asthma;
• hay fever;
• allergic reactions to insect bites;
• seasonal and year-round allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis;
• food allergies;
• drug allergies;
• dermatitis;
• Quincke's edema;
• urticaria, etc.

Diagnostics and treatment in allergology

• laboratory blood and urine tests;
• skin tests;
• allergy tests;
• spirometry (respiratory function test);
• determination of the presence of specific Ig E antibodies in the blood (a sharp increase in immunoglobulins indicates an allergic reaction).

After establishing and differentiating the diagnosis, the allergist prescribes adequate individual treatment.