{"id":1695,"date":"2014-09-29T12:16:43","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T17:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mw-allergy.com\/?p=515"},"modified":"2014-09-29T12:16:43","modified_gmt":"2014-09-29T17:16:43","slug":"when-should-patients-see-an-allergyasthma-specialist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mwent.net\/when-should-patients-see-an-allergyasthma-specialist\/","title":{"rendered":"When should patients see an allergy\/asthma specialist?"},"content":{"rendered":"

girl-allergy-sept29-300x200-7599791Fall ragweed season has kept area allergy sufferers sneezing and rubbing their eyes since mid-August.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllergy is a four-season disease inflicting high morbidity and underappreciated by patients and providers alike,\u201d says Philip Halverson, MD, Allergy and Asthma Specialists. Ragweed, the fiercest culprit, joins a host of other offenders including tree and grass pollen, mold spores, dust mites and pets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis disease doesn\u2019t get the respect it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halverson says specialists can help manage chronic conditions where allergy is not always identified, such as rhinosinusitis, conjunctivitis, asthma, cough, urticaria\/ angioedema, eczema and anaphylaxis.<\/p>\n

Primary care physicians have referred to specialists for years, often using their own guidelines, according to David Brockway, MD, Richfield Medical Group.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone has allergic issues or allergy symptoms more than three months out of the year and doesn\u2019t respond to antihistamines, steroid nasal sprays or a non-steroid leukotriene inhibitor like Singulair\u00ae, I will refer to a specialist,\u201d Brockway says.<\/p>\n

Cherie Zachary, MD, Midwest ENT Specialists, recommends that primary care providers refer when the patient experiences one or more urgent care or emergency visits for asthma or is hospitalized. She also wants to see patients who take moderate to high doses of inhaled steroids or oral prednisone more than once a year.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey are candidates for evaluation,\u201d Zachary says, \u201cespecially pediatric patients because prednisone and inhaled corticosteroids can cause adverse growth effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMedical literature is clear when it comes to the treatment of patients with asthma,\u201d she adds. \u201cAllergists are more cost-effective because patients end up in the hospital less frequently.\u201d<\/p>\n

The time to refer an asthma patient is when he or she has moderate to severe or persistent asthma requiring ongoing therapy with a controller, says Halverson. \u201cWe can determine whether a chronic cough is actually asthma or perhaps post-nasal drainage or reflux, each of which is treated differently,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Mee Lee Nelson, MD, an allergy and asthma specialist with Southdale Pediatric Associates, encourages primary care physicians to seek a board-certified allergist for patients with difficult-to-treat allergies or asthma. <\/p>\n

\u201cFood-related allergies should always be treated by a specialist,\u201d says Nelson. \u201cWe know how to interpret blood test results, which can sometimes produce false positives. We also know that patients sometimes outgrow food allergies and can resume eating troublesome foods after a period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halverson adds: \u201cPatients who have had chronic hives, with or without angioedema, for six weeks or more should also probably see an allergy specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allergists offer services including:<\/p>\n