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IS AN ALLERGIST
- A physician who has received residency
training in one of the primary care specialties.
- Following residency he/she has
received 2-3 years of training in an accredited allergy
fellowship training program.
- Allergists are expected to undergo
rigorous testing to qualify for certification by the
American Board of Allergy and Immunology.
- Allergists are experts in clinical
immunology, pathophysiology of rhinitis and sinusitis;
asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, urticaria, angioedema,
anaphylaxis, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, medication
allergy, stinging insect allergy, latex allergy, mastocytosis,
eosinophilic syndromes, aerobiology, and immunodeficiency.
WHO SHOULD RECEIVE AN ALLERGIST CONSULTATION
- A patient whose seasonal or perennial
rhinitis, sinusitis, or conjunctivitis is not in adequate
control with medications alone.
- All asthma patients should receive
consultation by an allergist at least once to determine
if environmental control measures or immunotherapy
can benefit them.
- All patients with moderate to severe
asthma should receive at least yearly evaluation by
an allergist or pulmonologist to ensure that their
asthma is stable and optimal therapy is instituted.
An allergist can also offer specialized therapy such
as Xolair to these patients.
- All patients with chronic, recurrent,
or difficult to treat urticaria or atopic dermatitis.
- All patients with angioedema or
anaphylaxis of unknown etiology.
- A patient who needs to have a definitive
diagnosis of a food allergy, or wishes to be educated
about his/her food allergy.
- A patient whose diagnosis of a
medication allergy is uncertain, or someone who needs
to be desensitized to a medication that he/she is
allergic to.
- All patients who have a systemic
reaction to an insect sting.
- Any patient who requires evaluation
or treatment of latex allergy.
- All patients with mastocytosis,
eosiniphilic syndromes, and other rare allergy-related
illnesses.
- Any patient with recurrent
or life-threatening or uncommon infections.
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