Diagnosing an allergy is more complicated than administering a skin prick test or taking a blood sample and sending patients away with a prescription slip. Anywhere from 40 to 50 million people in the U.S. have allergies or asthma. These diseases are so common that it might seem like the diagnosis and treatment are straightforward and that any doctor should be able to administer the most effective therapies.
Diagnosing an allergy is more complicated than administering a skin prick test or taking a blood sample and sending patients away with a prescription slip. Anywhere from 40 to 50 million people in the U.S. have allergies or asthma. These diseases are so common that it might seem like the diagnosis and treatment are straightforward and that any doctor should be able to administer the most effective therapies.
Your immune system’s job is to keep you healthy by fighting harmful pathogens. It does this by attacking anything it thinks could put your body in danger. Depending on the allergen, this response may involve inflammation, sneezing, or a host of other symptoms. Your immune system normally adjusts to your environment. For example, when your body encounters something like pet dander, it should realize it’s harmless. In people with dander allergies, the immune system perceives it as an outside invader threatening the body and attacks it. The symptoms you experience because of allergies are the result of several factors. These include the type of allergy you have and how severe the allergy is.