When Should Someone See an Allergist for Allergy Symptoms?

Hi, I'm Dr. Dave Stukus. I'm a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, a Board-Certified Allergist and Immunologist, and I'm also a member of the Medical and Scientific Council for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

When should someone see an allergist for suspected allergies?

Allergists love helping patients clarify what it is that they're actually allergic to. So we always recommend if you have concerns about allergies or if you're guessing as to what might be a cause of your symptoms, or if you're not sure if your symptoms are due to allergy, go see a board certified allergist and immunologist.

We have reliable testing that we can do that can clarify exactly what you're allergic to and more importantly, what you're not allergic to. We can discuss your personal symptoms, and we can also come up with an individualized treatment plan. A large part about what we do as allergists is not only identifying what somebody is allergic to, but we talk about the role of the environment. Because a lot of times there are simple avoidance measures that we can help people with asthma or environmental allergies address inside their home or outside their home.

We love helping people find ways to control their allergy symptoms. Come up with a good plan that lets them, you know, limit how much work they miss, how much school they miss, participate in any activities they want to do. And most importantly, we can provide long term follow up and management options for when things aren't going well. So if you ever have any concerns, if you feel like your symptoms aren't well controlled, or if you just want to know what you're allergic to, then I recommend finding a board-certified allergist near you.