Allergy and Immunology?

Allergy and immunology is the area of medicine dedicated to the care and treatment of health concerns and conditions of the immune system, including allergic disease and related symptoms and reactions — from asthma, rhinitis, sinus problems, or seasonal allergies to life-threatening reactions to drugs, food, vaccines, and more. Allergy and immunology covers the hundreds of immune diseases that affect millions of people.

Allergy and immunology is the area of medicine dedicated to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of immune system conditions, including allergic disease and related symptoms and reactions — issues that affect many millions of Indians.

Specialized Training in Allergy and Immunology

Allergists and immunologists are physicians who treat conditions related to the immune system, including allergies. To become an allergy and immunology specialist, doctors must complete a three-year residency in pediatrics or internal medicine before completing at least two more years of combined allergy, immunology, and rheumatology training, according to the American College of Physicians (ACP). Upon completion of this specialized training, physicians are eligible to apply for subspecialty board certification in allergy and immunology.

Because certain allergies and immune conditions can affect multiple parts of the body, allergists and immunologists may evaluate and treat patients in conjunction with other types of specialists. An ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor, also called an otolaryngologist, for example, might help treat a patient for allergies that impact those areas, while a gastroenterologist may help treat a patient for an immune disorder that affects the esophagus, stomach, or other areas of the digestive system.

The Allergy & Immunology/Body Connection

The immune system affects the entire body. This is why allergists and immunologists who care for patients with allergic conditions or other immune diseases may also treat related symptoms all over the body — from the eyes, scalp, and skin to the nasal passages, lungs, and even bone marrow, which is inside the bones themselves.

According to the latest data shared by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, more than 50 million people in the U.S. suffer from some type of allergy every year. In addition, allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness.