Pediatrician, an immunology allergist, is a doctor who focuses on treating and treating allergies, asthma, and immune disorders in infants, children, and teenagers.
Pediatricians, immunologists, have more in-depth knowledge of the immune system and disorders of the child's immune response, including allergies, so that they can provide the best solution for dealing with allergies and immune disorders suffered by children.
Diseases Treated by Allergists Immunology
Generally, an examination to a pediatric allergist and immunologist is based on a referral from a general practitioner or pediatrician. You will be advised to take your child to a pediatric allergist and immunologist if he:
- Experiencing allergy symptoms, such as itchy skin, rash, itchy nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, wheezing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or shortness of breath, after consuming or coming into contact with allergens
- Have a history of allergies in the family
- Often suffer from certain infections, such as sinusitis
For more details, the following are a number of diseases that are treated by an immunologist allergist:
1. Food allergies
A food allergy occurs when the immune system perceives that certain substances in food are harmful. Food allergies are characterized by a variety of symptoms, namely:
- Symptoms on the skin, such as rash, itching, redness
- Symptoms in the digestive tract, such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Symptoms in the respiratory tract, such as nasal congestion, to shortness of breath
Symptoms of a food allergy can also be in the form of anaphylactic shock which can be life threatening and requires immediate help. Foods that often trigger allergies include milk, eggs, soy, wheat, fish, nuts, and shellfish.
2. Dust allergy
Dust allergy in children occurs when children breathe air that is mixed with dust, mite droppings, plant pollen, mold spores, or animal dander which are allergenic substances.
Dust allergies can cause 2 conditions, namely allergic rhinitis and asthma. Symptoms of allergic rhinitis can include sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, red eyes, watery eyes, stuffy nose, and itchy nose. While in asthma, symptoms can include coughing and shortness of breath.
3. Drug allergy
Not only adults, children can also suffer from drug allergies. Drug allergies are characterized by a variety of symptoms, ranging from mild to those that require serious treatment.
Mild symptoms of drug allergy are characterized by skin rash, itching, fever, swelling, runny nose, itchy eyes, watery eyes, and shortness of breath. Meanwhile, serious symptoms can include anaphylactic shock or Steven-Johnson syndrome which requires immediate medical attention.
4. Atopic eczema
Atopic eczema is an allergy that causes itchy, dry, and scaly skin. Eczema is more common in babies, although adults can get it too.
5. Sinusitis
Sinusitis is an infection or inflammation of the nasal cavity. Sinusitis in children is characterized by a variety of symptoms, ranging from a prolonged runny nose (more than 10 days), green or clear mucus, cough that does not go away, to fever.
6. Immunodeficiency disease
As previously stated, immunologists also treat conditions with abnormalities in the immune system's response. One of them is immunodeficiency disease.
Immunodeficiency disease is a disorder of the immune system that makes the body unable to protect itself from bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Immunodeficiency can occur as a congenital disease (from birth) or as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals or certain infections (secondary).
7. Autoimmune disease
Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's immune system attacks and destroys its own body tissues. Some autoimmune diseases that may occur in children are psoriasis, autoimmune hepatitis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, lupus, and skin scleroderma.
Medical Actions Provided by Pediatric Allergists and Immunologists
In diagnosing a child's illness, the pediatric allergist and immunologist will first ask what symptoms or complaints the child is experiencing. After that, the doctor will also trace the child's medical history, from birth to the present, along with a family history of diseases related to allergies or immune system disorders.
Then, the doctor may carry out several follow-up examinations to determine what disease the child is suffering from, including:
Allergy test
To diagnose allergies, your pediatric allergist and immunologist will recommend allergy testing. This test is usually a skin test consisting of: skin-prick test and patch test.
blood test
Blood tests may be done to check for antibodies to allergies or to confirm the presence of antibodies that cause autoimmune disease.
Elimination diet
An elimination diet is usually recommended in children who suffer from certain food allergies. The pediatric allergist, immunologist, will design a feeding schedule and the type of food the child eats over a certain period of time to find out exactly what foods are triggers for allergies in children.
Treatment for allergic and immunological-related diseases is highly dependent on the cause. For allergies, the main therapy is generally avoiding the allergen. However, immunotherapy can also be done to reduce a child's sensitivity to allergens. For other conditions, immune suppression therapy may be used in children who have autoimmune conditions. On the other hand, therapy to increase immunity will be given to children with immunodeficiency conditions.
That's brief information about pediatric allergists, immunologists and the diseases they treat. Examination to a pediatric allergist, immunologist, is usually based on a referral from a general practitioner or pediatrician. However, you can immediately consult a pediatric immunologist if your child has any of the above symptoms, especially if other family members have experienced similar signs.
