Allergology is the field of medicine that diagnoses and treats diseases associated with allergic reactions. These occur when a person’s immune system becomes overly sensitive to certain substances, such as food, pollen, medicines or bee venom. These substances are called allergens.

What symptoms can allergies cause?

 “One of the roles of the immune system is to destroy harmful substances in the body. If a person is allergic to a substance, their immune system reacts as if that substance were harmful and tries to eliminate it,” explains allergist Dr Ana Kozlovska. In such cases, symptoms such as the following may appear:

•  a blocked or runny nose;
•  red, swollen, watering eyes;
•  cough;
•  vomiting, diarrhoea;
•  swelling of the lips, face, throat or tongue;
•  shortness of breath;
•  itching;
•  rash;
•  dizziness, and so on.

Different allergenic substances cause different symptoms. Allergology examines each of them in detail in order to establish an accurate diagnosis.

What conditions does allergology diagnose and treat?

Allergology investigates and treats various allergic diseases and conditions, such as:

•  hay fever;
•  bronchial asthma;
•  atopic dermatitis;
•  allergic contact dermatitis;
•  allergic rhinitis;
•  anaphylaxis (a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction);
•  oedema;
•  atopic eczema;
•  allergies caused by food, medicines, environmental factors or insect venom;
•  urticaria (hives);
•  diseases involving impaired immunity. 

What diagnostic methods are used at the clinic?

 To find the factor that caused the allergic reaction, various diagnostic methods are used. The patient may undergo blood tests, special patches with allergen particles may be applied to the skin and, in some cases, provocation tests are performed.

What treatment methods does allergology use?

Once tests have identified the factor that caused the allergic reaction, the allergist gives the patient recommendations for treating and managing the allergy. For many allergic diseases, symptom-relieving treatment is applied. However, the most important action for the patient is to avoid the allergen. If allergic rhinitis or allergic bronchial asthma is diagnosed, allergen-specific immunotherapy may be prescribed. During this, the body receives gradually increasing doses of the allergen and is thus slowly accustomed to it. For most people an allergy is an unpleasant or annoying but not life-threatening condition. However, some patients react very sensitively to certain allergens, which can cause anaphylaxis. In such cases the allergist’s recommendations must be followed very responsibly and the allergy actively managed. All patients found to be at high risk of anaphylaxis are advised to carry an automatic injector containing a life-saving dose of medication.