Having allergies means a person’s immune system could potentially overreact to something touched or inhaled.
Allergic reactions can cause symptoms such as itchiness, swelling, difficulty breathing, vomiting, hives and other severe symptoms.
“Finding out what someone is allergic to is an important first step to effective allergy treatment. Today, allergy tests are more convenient and accurate than before. When combined with a detailed medical history, allergy testing can identify the specific things that trigger allergic reactions,” said PMC Otolaryngologist, William Hoskins, DO.
Allergy testing is performed on the skin. When combined with a physical examination and medical history review, testing can reveal information about substances and their positive or negative effects on patients.
“We provide a topical ointment to apply on the skin prior to arriving at our office,” said Dr. Hoskins. “This allows the patient’s skin to be numbed in order for the test to be more comfortable.”
Dr. Hoskins says ignoring allergy symptoms could lead to chronic sinus problems and cause patients to develop secondary sinus infections.
“Allergies can make patients feel fatigued and experience drainage that could lead to sore throat and mimic other illnesses. It’s important to get tested,” added Dr. Hoskins.
PMC’s 9th Floor Clinic offers allergy testing for adults and children and is one of the few allergy treatment centers offering medication, weekly allergy shots and sublingual immunotherapy which is an alternative way to treat patients without injections. Small doses of allergen drops are administered under the patient’s tongue to boost tolerance and reduce symptoms.
“Patients are able to take these medicinal drops home. This cuts down on the weekly trips for shots to a doctor’s office,” said Dr. Hoskins.
For more information, or to schedule an appointment with one of PMC’s Otolaryngologists, please call 606-430-2209 or visit our Otolaryngology page.
