Allergy, Asthma and Immune Disorders

The department for Allergy, Asthma and Immune Disorders, offers a vast range of advanced diagnostic technologies and treatment services. These include: special Immunology and Virology laboratories to identify immune deficiencies and infectious diseases, the Pathology Department for tissue examinations, the Pulmonary Department to determine the breathing capacity of the lungs and airways, respiratory therapy and rehabilitation to improve breathing, and the Radiology Department for diagnostic imaging.

Our comprehensive services also include patient education provided by clinical nurse educators and licensed nutritionists. A clinical nurse educator and a registered dietitian will address dietary needs, oral food challenges and avoidance/elimination of allergy-producing foods. A special service is also offered to children with asthma, which includes educational programs conducted at area schools. With the help of our skilled and experienced allergy, asthma, and immunology specialists, you’ll once again regain your health, vitality, and

Call for Allergy, Asthma, and Immune Disorders for comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and management.

At the Center for Allergy, Asthma, and Immune Disorders, our goal is to bring you immediate relief and to give you the tools you need to build a better quality of life. Our center offers the latest scientific and technological methods to diagnose your condition. Our experts can help you implement an individualized treatment plan that works for you.

Treating your condition begins with identifying whether you have an allergy, asthma, or an immune disorder. An allergist-immunologist will conduct a physical examination and a personalized detailed interview. The interview will include a thorough history of your illness, family history, and an evaluation of your home and work environments. Following your diagnosis, your physician will design and discuss with you a comprehensive plan to treat your specific condition.

Allergy Care

A variety of tests may be performed to pinpoint the allergen(s) that may be affecting your health. We offer a variety of sophisticated and complex tests, which can be performed at a hospital-based laboratory such as ours. Since some challenge testing may include risk of reaction, patients benefit by having them performed within the safeguards of a hospital.

Diagnostic testing offered by the center includes: an allergy skin test, in which tiny diluted amounts of the suspected allergens are injected under the skin. Within 15 minutes, a skin reaction will occur if the patient is allergic to the substance. The size of the reaction on the skin indicates how sensitive the patient is to the allergen.

A second effective test is the RAST (radioallergosorbent test) blood test, which measures the body’s reaction to an allergen in the laboratory. Also available at the center are skin patch tests for such localized allergens as jewelry and cosmetics, the ELISA blood test used to evaluate food allergies, and nasal secretion analysis. History of adverse reaction to food can be objectively and unequivocally investigated by oral food challenges.

Your treatment program may include avoidance of the allergen, pharmaceutical treatment, and/or immunotherapy. Immunotherapy involves injecting a known allergen over a period of time, gradually increasing doses of the allergen until resistance has built up.

Medication Challenges

Between 3 and 5 percent of medical hospital admissions are due to adverse drug effects. Reactions include anaphylaxis, serum sickness, and asthma. Major culprits of drug allergens are antibiotics and insulin.

To eliminate risks associated with unknown medication allergens, the Center for Allergy, Asthma, and Immune Disorders performs drug challenges of suspect allergic medications to determine any adverse reaction a person may have to a prescribed medication. Desensitization to the offending drug is offered to those whose health depends on the medication to which they are allergic.

Asthma Care

Since a majority of asthmatics also suffer from allergies, these patients will undergo allergy testing. Persons with asthma and/or vocal cord dysfunction may also be examined for exercise-induced asthma, using the center’s on-site exercise equipment. A pulmonary function test to measure the response to medications and/or the breathing capacity of the lungs and airways may also be performed. Additional inhalation challenge tests are available to assess specific agents that may provoke asthma in the workplace.

Persons with diagnosed asthma will be treated according to the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma developed by the National Asthma Education Program of the National Institutes of Health. This includes medication therapy to prevent and reverse airway inflammation, environmental control measures to avoid and eliminate asthma flare-ups, and a comprehensive patient education program to help you manage the disease and reduce adverse effects from asthma medications.

Sinus Care

Sinusitis can be caused by colds, allergy, irritation, or nasal polyps. Testing may include a skin test to determine relevant allergens. Nasal mucus analysis is used to differentiate infection from allergies. Your doctor may also request a sinus X-ray or CT scan to observe if there are any blockages or polyps. Laboratory evaluations will be performed to determine or rule out if an immune deficiency is causing your chronic sinusitis. Treatment depends on your individual condition and may include a regimen of antibiotics, physical drainage, immunotherapy, and surgery to treat structural problems.

Immune Disorders Care

Persons with immune disorders are predisposed to unusual and prolonged infectious and chronic diseases. The Center for Allergy, Asthma, and Immune Disorders is one of the few facilities in New Jersey to have both a Virology and Special Diagnostic Immunology laboratory. The laboratories use state-of-the-art technology to test for abnormalities in the immune system. One in 500 people lack protective response and mucous membrane antibodies and are prone to recurrent sinus, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal infections. Other persons may not be producing appropriate numbers of antibodies or are producing antibodies that do not function properly. Without treatment, these individuals may experience different types of infections. A critical step in the treatment of immune deficiencies is uncovering its existence.