Does my child have allergies?

An increasing number of people worldwide have to deal with allergies. The extent of allergic symptoms and associated health complaints can significantly affect a patient’s everyday life. Accurate allergy diagnosis is essential to ensure the optimal method of treatment (e.g. allergy vaccination / allergy tablets) and to prevent long-term consequences. Many children are treated inaccurately due to inadequate diagnosis. In addition, stressful therapies with possible side effects are often started without justifiable reason.

Anamnesis and long-term recording of symptoms are the first and most important step in allergy diagnostics. We are happy to give all parents detailed explanations of the natural history of allergies and to explain all treatment and individual options. Based on this, latest state-of the-art allergy tests (skin tests and blood tests, such as chip diagnostics) are carried out at our private practice. Accurate allergy diagnostics and the according treatment must not be rushed – in his practice, Dr. Mädel ensures that sufficient time is alloted.

A DETAILED DISCUSSION CAN SPARE YOU NUMEROUS ELABORATE AND STRESSING EXAMINATIONS.

THE FOLLOWING ALLERGY TESTS CAN BE CARRIED OUT DIRECTLY AT THE PRACTICE:

  • Detailed medical history and data collection
  • Evaluation of complaints (complaint diary, long-time recording of symptoms)
  • Skin tests (prick test, prick to prick test)
  • Blood collection and laboratory test (IgE + RAST, ISAC chip test, ALEX test)
  • Lung function testing

The following allergy tests are offered as part of a short inpatient stay at the Pediatric Department of Wilhelminen Hospital Vienna:

  • Oral food provocation (final test for IgE-mediated food allergies)

The following allergy-therapies are offered at the practice:

  • Detailed consulting
  • Training for the use of an emergency kit, international allergy-emergency-pass
  • SCIT – subcutaneous immunotherapy – ‘allergy injection’
  • SLIT – sublingual immunotherapy – ‘allergy drops / allergy tablets’
  • General supportive drug therapy for allergies (e.g. optimizing asthma therapy)
  • Dietary consulting for food allergies in cooperation with our qualified nutritionist
  • Consulting on how to improve the avoidance of allergens
  • Therapy of neurodermatitis
  • Therapy of allergic bronchial or allergy-induced cough, rhinitis or eye symptoms

Other diagnostic and therapeutic tests that cannot be carried out on an outpatient basis but require hospitalization, such as setting up an allergy vaccination for insect venom allergies, general vaccinations for particularly strong egg allergy, or further lung function tests, as well as oral food challenge tests, can be carried out at the Department of Pediatrics at the Wilhelminen Hospital Vienna, where Dr. Mädel is a senior physician.

Skin-prick test

For this examination, drops of several different solutions of allergens (e.g. different plant pollen, dust mites, food allergens) are dripped onto the skin. The skin is then scratched with a fine lancet and the reaction of the skin can then be observed. Results are available approx. 20 min after application of the allergens. This test is one of the major allergic diagnostic tools and can be carried out directly at the private practice (depending on the availability of the prick solutions). Local skin redness and itching may appear during this examination, and are treated immediately afterwards.

Prick-to-prick test

This allows testing for various allergens that are normally not tested in the standard prick test panel. With this test it is possible to examine the skin reaction to almost any food. The test result is available after 20 minutes. As with the skin-prick test, local skin redness and itching may occur. This specific test has to be planned individually.

Chip/blood test

Chip-test methods (ISAC or ALEX) are the latest test methods, in which a simple blood sample can be used to test the body’s reaction to more than a hundred allergen molecules in one test run. This examination should be reserved for very specific questions and can be performed at the private practice.

Immunotherapy/Desensitization:

Depending on age and responsible allergen, specific immunotherapy or hypo-sensitization can be carried out using a “subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT)” or an “allergy tablet / drop (SLIT)”. SCIT sees a low dose of allergen being injected under the skin once a month for about 3 years. As a result, the allergic symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis, asthma or insect venom allergies should decrease.

For grass and dust mite allergy, there is also the option to treat the allergen with drops/tablets which are placed under the tongue (SLIT), depending on the age of the patient.

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