Allergy

• Do you know approximately 20% to 30 % of the total population in India suffers from at least one allergic disease?
• Do you know children living in urban areas are more prone to allergies?
• Do you know asthma is the most popular allergy among Indians?
• Do you know the male are more prone to allergy?

Common Causes of Allergies:

There are many reasons to stimulate allergy reaction. The allergies are caused either by external factors or how internally we get effected by causative agents. The common causes of allergy are;

Change in Weather, pollution, pollen, dust, mold and mildew, animal dander may be cause for your allergies related to respiratory system.

Wrong or heavy medication, nuts and food allergy may be the cause for allergy that shows symptoms on the digestive system.

Bee stings, expired topicals, cosmetics makeup, poisonous plants, animal scratches, latex may be some reasons for the cause of skin allergies.

Food allergy is a major cause of suffering where the patient’s body is not able to accept some ordinary, harmless substances like peanuts, milk, eggs, corn, wheat, rice and many more.

Test for Allergy

Prick Test

The most common and effective way to know your allergens or the elements that are the cause of your allergy. Pricking your skin and inserting a small amount of substance of allergens, will show the result after some time by either being unaffected or by showing a reddishly elevated bump. The elevated bump is a positive result for allergy.

• Skin prick testing is suitable for all age group. They are appropriate even for infants.
• It is safest way to identify the problem.
• It is almost painless.
• The test is performed either on your arm or on your back.
• It takes almost an hour to perform the test and analyse the results.
• It is best performed on patients with food allergies or a long history of reactions.

How We Perform the test?

• Before we perform the test we try to understand your problem, your health history, your symptoms and intensity of the problem.
• On the basis of the information, our doctor will determine the allergens that need to be tested
• We then prepare your skin for testing by cleaning it with alcohol.
• Our assistance will mark the followed series pattern on your skin to keep track of different allergens tested and their reactions.
• The assistance will place a small drop of allergens on the marked area and then will lightly prick the surface of your skin, allowing the allergen to penetrate in your skin.
• You need to wait for almost 20 min to allow the reaction to happen if any.
• If you’re allergic to any substance you’ll feel a red, itchy bump surrounded by red ring mark similar to the mosquito bite.
• Our doctor then evaluates and measure the reaction and accordingly suggests the medication and treatment.

The severity and appearance of the symptom depend on immunity, type and amount of exposure to the allergen.

Blood Test

For a quick, easy and effective testing of allergies, Cosmo clinic performs blood testing to identify the root cause of your allergy. The blood test is preferred for those who;

• Are already under regular dosage of medication like steroids, antidesperrants, antihistamines etc.
• Low tolerance to pricking on needles
• Unstable BP and heart condition
• Severe asthma, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, or any other condition
• Any other life-threating allergic reaction
• Preferred for young infants and old people.

How do we perform the test?

Any kind of allergy is responsible for stimulating the growth of white blood cells especially a variant called eosinophil. We recommend Blood tests to check your white blood cell counts, depending on your condition, and the level of allergic reactions.

We use two different methods:

• The ELISA Test: For specifically measuring the amount of allergen-specific antibodies in your blood.
• The RAST Test: For specifically identifying the allergy triggers that affect you.

We might also ask for other blood tests to measure the release of chemicals responsible for allergic reactions.

We only recommend blood testing

• To determine how well your allergy treatments (immunotherapy) are working.
• To know whether you have outgrown an allergy.

Immunotherapy

Level up your immunity system to stop the body overreact to the substance causing allergy. At Cosmo Clinic get the long-lasting, effective and safe treatment to cure allergy.

How Does Immunotherapy work on your body?

Immunotherapy is a preventive treatment in which the body is trained in such a way that it becomes use to allergens, to which the patient is allergic.

• Train your body to become less allergic.
• Strengthen immunity system
• Produce antibodies naturally to prevent allergy symptoms.
• Best for the person having selective sensitivity to several causes.

Before starting treatment, the allergist and patient identify trigger factors for allergy symptoms. Skin or sometimes blood tests are performed to confirm the specific allergens to which the person has antibodies. Immunotherapy is usually recommended only if the person seems to be selectively sensitive to several allergens.

Types of Immunotherapy

Allergy shots or subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT),

We prescribe injections to change your immunity system in most effective and safe procedure.

Recommended for:

• Eye allergies
• Bee sting or any other insects bites
• Asthma from allergy
• Rhinitis from allergy

Allergy tablets or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)

We prescribe medicine or drop to be taken orally to reduce symptoms of allergy and increase immunity level to slow down effect of allergen.

Recommended for:

• Treat single allergen
• To treat Allergies from ragweed, grass pollen and dust mites.

Complication in Allergies

Anaphylaxis: Skin reactions with hives flushed or pale skin, a feeling of warmth, sensation of a lump in the throat, constriction of the airways and a swollen tongue or throat, which can cause wheezing and breathing trouble needs a serious emergency medical attention