Hospitals receiving low number of allergy patients

ISLAMABAD: The number of incoming allergy patients with multiple complications are decreasing in the hospitals due to changing weather conditions and low pollen count being reported in the federal capital.

An official of Allergy Center, National Institute of Health (NIH) said that the center is still working to provide allergy vaccine immunotherapy to the patients suffering from nasal, respiratory tract, skin, gastrointestinal tract and food related allergy problems.

He said that the patients visiting the center are mainly suffering from bronchial asthma, seasonal allergic rhinitis, perennial allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, skin rashes, urticaria, angioedema and other dermatological problems not related to allergies.

He said patients with severe complications are mainly referred to other government hospitals including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for relevant medical care.

He said when any new patient with allergy symptoms come to the center, doctors get blood samples for test to check whether the patient is suffering from such disease or not.

The official said in case of positive blood report, the center starts vaccination of patient while if doctor finds any other medical complications he refers such patient to the concerned doctor or hospital.

He said in some cases, the center's doctors also advise patients for other tests for complete investigation of the disease.

He said the total vaccination period is three year, adding doctors include some medicines also in case of no positive affect on patients and they stop the medication in severe condition.

He said when some allergy producing particles enter the nose and come in contact with the internal lining of the nose than as a reaction their is swelling and inflammation in the nose and the patient suffers from symptoms like sneezing, nasal itching, watery nasal dripping, watering of eyes and mild sore throat.

He said the different types of substances produce allergy including pollen grains of flowers, dust particles, house dust mite, outdoor and indoor molds or fungus, insect venom of bee, animal dander like sloughed off skin, saliva and excreta of dog or cat secretions and excretions of birds, body parts and excreta of insects like cockroach, foods like milk, egg, fish, prawns, beef, mutton, chicken, peanuts, and some drugs like penicillin, sulfa drugs and insulin. (APP)