The allergist is a medical specialist who consults in a doctor's office or in the hospital, he can also be a general practitioner, a pulmonologist, a dermatologist, a gastroenterologist, a pediatrician, an ENT specialist ... these doctors specialized after 2 to 4 years of studies.
In France, there are approximately 2, 000 allergy doctors. They can be consulted in private practice or at the hospital.
Allergy consultation
If you are going to see an allergist, this one will start by asking you many questions about the symptoms that lead you to consult, to know if they are related to an allergy ... or not.
Do you have a pet? Since when did you develop these symptoms? In what circumstances did they appear? etc.
Then, if there is a strong suspicion of allergic problem, the allergist will undertake additional examinations, a whole review: blood test, drops of allergen deposited on the forearm (allergic skin tests), etc.
At the end of this assessment, the allergist can define which allergy you suffer from. And this specialist will be able to identify the allergenic agents involved.
The allergist will then propose a specific care, the main one being to avoid as much as possible the contact with the allergenic agent.
The allergist can also:
- prescribe medication to fight allergic reactions;
- set up desensitization (allergen immunotherapy);
- recommend some rules of hygiene of life ...
To read also our files on the various allergies:
> Food allergies
> Milk allergy
> Lactose intolerance
> Mite allergy
> Pollen allergy
Sources and notes: Sauvan-Pistof C. News, Innovations, Medicine, n ° 134, March 2008, pp 16-20.
