Allergy Diagnostic And Treatment Program in Maryland and Northern Virginia

1. Initial Visit
   Prior to your visit, you will be asked to fill in "Patient Registration Form" and "New Patient Medical Questionnaire". It is highly recommended that you fill in these forms prior to your visit, thus streamlining your initial appointment and shortening its duration. Upon your arrival, the nurse will privately go over the questionnaire with you asking you additional questions, updating it or helping you to complete it, if you have not done so (please arrive early allowing for extra time for the completion). Please make certain you have list of your current medications with you.
   
   Your Allergist will obtain a detailed medical and allergy history, review your previous treatments and results, examine you thoroughly and evaluate your symptoms. The lung function tests will be performed to assess your pulmonary (breathing) function. The Allergist will then recommend appropriate allergy testing, such as skin test or allergy blood test. The skin test entails placement of various air-born or food allergens on your skin using plastic micro-pointed applicator called ComforTen. The reaction on the skin is measured in 20 minutes. Please note that for medical risks and insurance restrictions, we cannot test for both air-born and food allergens on the same visit.
   
   Based on the entire clinical evaluation and the results of the skin test your Allergist will be able to provide you with the diagnosis and suggest appropriate treatment. If the allergy tests are negative or inconclusive, the Allergist may recommend further testing to be performed on a follow-up visit. Also, the follow up visit will serve to complete the outstanding part of the testing if you initially needed to be tested for both air-born and food allergens.
   

2. Follow-up visit
   Your Allergist will supervise either intra-dermal (ID) testing or the second part of your air-born/food allergen skin test. The intra-dermal testing consists of placement of limited number of allergens in the superficial layer of skin on your forearm with very small needle and observation/measurement of reactions in 20 minutes.
   If you had a blood test on your initial appointment, your Allergist will discuss the results with you at this time.
   
   Based on the previous clinical evaluation and results of all testing performed, your Allergist will be able to provide you with comprehensive recommendations for avoidance of allergens or foods, medications to alleviate your symptoms and specific treatment. This may include recommendation for allergen immunotherapy. If so, your Allergist will discuss this option with you. You will be given detailed information about this treatment modality, its benefits, risks, duration and asked to sign a consent form.

3. Further visits
   Subsequent visits will allow your Allergist to monitor your progress and improvement, evaluate your residual or new symptoms and adjust your medications. If you started allergen immunotherapy, you will be seen, at least initially, every three months. Once you have achieved maintenance level you will be seen every 6 – 12 months. If you are being followed for asthma, we ask that you are seen at least once in 3 - 6 months if deemed stable by your Allergist. However, you will be required to follow up significantly more frequently if your asthma is not yet well controlled.