Cleveland Clinic Florida allergists offer a full range of allergy diagnostic and therapeutic services for asthma, rhinitis, urticaria (hives), eczema, food allergies, insect sting allergies and medication allergies.
Instead of simply focusing on the treatment of asthma symptoms, at Cleveland Clinic Florida, allergists search for and treat the root causes of airway inflammation. This not only decreases symptoms and improves quality of life, but can also prevent an irreversible decline in lung function. Patient education is a key element in an asthma management plan. Proper training not only restores patients’ sense of well-being but also allows them to pursue physical activities that they once avoided.
Also known as dermatitis, this condition leads to patches of dry, itchy skin. It may result from a number of allergic causes. Accurate allergy evaluation of possible causes allows patients to avoid triggers.
Careful evaluation helps patients identify food allergies and intolerances. Through the use of skin testing, laboratory evaluation and oral challenges, Cleveland Clinic Florida’s physicians are able to help patients accurately pinpoint the foods they should avoid.
Urticaria is a common disorder. Most people will have one or more brief outbreak of urticaria in their lives. Chronic urticaria can last for months or years and is more than just a nuisance. The itchy, red, swollen areas of skin can be disfiguring. At Cleveland Clinic in Florida, allergists use the latest tests to find the root cause of the hives. Careful adjustment of medications and avoidance of triggers allows us to control hives without bothersome side effects.
Many suspected medication allergies are unfounded and lead to the needless use of alternative medications that may be more expensive or more toxic. To confirm a medication reaction, Cleveland Clinic Florida allergists take a careful history of symptoms and may conduct a skin test. Such tests often reveal that the medication can be taken safely. If the test is positive and the medication is absolutely necessary, desensitization can be attempted. While desensitization is considered a last resort, it can help the body learn to tolerate a drug, even if it has produced a life-threatening reaction.
This disorder, also known as “hay fever” is often neglected when sneezing and runny nose are brushed off as unimportant. Patients who suffer from chronic rhinitis know that the congestion, headache and fatigue that accompany the sneezing and itching are often disabling, forcing them to be absent from school and work. South Florida residents with rhinitis usually suffer from the condition year around, due to the subtropical climate.
Using allergy testing, physicians strive to identify the substances to which the patient is allergic. By using a combination of allergen avoidance, medication and immunotherapy, Clinic physicians are able to reduce the troublesome symptoms and improve patients’ quality of life.
Often unrecognized and undiagnosed, chronic sinusitis can cause persistent postnasal drip and cough year round. The condition usually arises as the result of untreated rhinitis, but sometimes can be due to an unrecognized immune deficiency. Left untreated, chronic sinusitis can aggravate asthma and rhinitis. Whether sinusitis is due to allergic or non-allergic causes, physicians try to treat or cure this disease by non-surgical means.
Immunodeficiency Disorders (except HIV/AIDS)
Immunodeficiency diseases can appear in children and adults. Recurring respiratory infections and other infections may be the first sign. A complete workup for the cause of recurrent infection can lead to the discovery of a treatable immunodeficiency. Physicians in Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Department of Infectious Diseases care for HIV and AIDS related patients.