Allergy / Immunology Diseases and Conditions

It is a group of diseases that is also called hay fever. It presents itself through persistent symptoms including runny nose, teary eyes, congestion, tiredness and often accompanied by itching.

More than 60% of U.S. households have pets, of which, more than 160 million of these pets are cats and dogs. Many pet owners develop pet allergies but fortunately, giving up your pets for allergy control is not the only option.

When rhinitis or allergies are not treated early enough, it can progress to affect the adjacent sinuses causing constant headache, post nasal drip, sinus pressure and sinus pain.

Nasal polyps or nasal polyposis are outgrowth of naso-sinus tissues that are not painful and not cancerous but present a significant problem to both patients and their physicians. It often comes together with chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma.

Asthma is a disease of the airways when it get inflamed. In the US, about 70-80% of asthmatics also have environmental allergies. Symptoms of asthma include coughs, shortness of breath, and wheezes.

Halitosis (bad breath) in the mouth is usually due to sulfur containing gas released together with the breath in patients with chronic airway diseases as seen in asthma, sinusitis, allergies.

Those conditions are characterized by skin inflammation causing severe skin redness, itchiness and other complications leading to decrease quality of life. They are often related to or accompanied with allergies and asthma.

Both are inflammatory skin diseases and present similarly with erythematous skin rashes. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that we can only control symptoms when there is a flare up. Eczema is a form of allergic inflammation, which would improve significantly with treatment of allergies. Most cases of skin rashes in the community are given a diagnosis of psoriasis likely due to the convenience of getting this diagnosis

Eczema herpeticum is viral skin infection condition that usually due to Herpes simplex virus (HSV) on existing eczematous skin lesions.

Acne vulgaris is due to the infection and inflammation of hair follicles plugged with oil or sebum and dead skin cells. Currently underlying etiologies of this condition is not clear but our observation here show a drastic improvement of inflammation when dust mites allergy is controlled.

Poison ivy or poison oak occurs when the skin is in contact with this plant’s oily resin found on the leaves, stems, or root causing contact dermatitis or skin inflammation.

Anaphylaxis is a serious, life-threatening systemic allergic reaction. It occurs within seconds to minutes after exposure to a substance that you have developed an allergy to.

Food is supposed to be harmless and is our nutrients. However, some individuals may develop allergic reactions to certain foods. It can range from a mild reaction like hives to severe cases like anaphylaxis

When you suffer from hay fever or allergic rhinitis, you may experience mouth and throat itchiness when you eat certain fruits. This is due to the similarities of the proteins of certain fruits to the pollens that confuses your immune system.

Eosinophil is a type of white blood cell. When it infiltrates into certain organs, it causes inflammation and damage of that organ.

Hives are red, swollen, and usually itchy skin bumps that come and go within a day, but then are replaced by new hive lesions at different sites. Hives are usually itchy. It may precede anapylaxis or associate with angioedema or face swelling if the hive lesions are on the facial area.

Angioedema are skin swelling without hives that lasts for a few day and does not respond to antihistamine or steroid treatment. Angioedema can be hereditary, acquired or due to medications.

We sometimes develop allergic reactions to drugs that we have taken previously without problems. Reactions vary from hives to anaphylaxis, and to a more dangerous burn-like skin condition called Steven Johnson Syndrome.

All of us would develop a local swelling or skin reaction at the bite site. Some, however develop a systemic allergic reaction to insect bite that can cause life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Workplace-related allergens may cause either allergic rhinitis, asthma, eczema or all three. Depending on causative allergens, and the impact of the job on patients’ livelihood, treatments can vary.

Living free from allergy and asthma! Discover how running, summer jogging, skiing, mountain hiking and scuba diving might affect your diseases and how to be active while living with allergic diseases.

We can live with the environment because our immune system is strong and working well. If you experience frequent infections, or any serious bacterial infections, discuss it with your immunologist.

A rare autoimflammatory syndrome seen in children with recurrent periodic fever without obvious infection etiologies. Between fevers, patients do fine.

Different from invasive fungal infections, these noninvasive allergic fungal diseases cann be seen in some severe forms of chronic allergic rhinosinusitis or asthma. They present a challenge in diagnosis and treatment.

Sensitivity to aspirin and NSAID is a form of Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (AERD). It may cause long lasting and severe nasal polyps, chronic rhinosinusitis, and uncontrolled asthma. Treatment might require aspirin desensitization.

Are you suffering from anxiety? Do you experience random chest tightness, palpitations, and dizziness? Are you able to focus well at school or work? Are those symptoms getting worse overtime? Do you need to be medicated with anxiety or ADHD medications to block out those feelings so you can carry on with your daily activities?