| | Types of Allergens
| Testing Options | Allergy
Treatment | Tools for the Patient
It is estimated that approximately 55 million Americans —
22% of the population — suffer from one or more allergic diseases.
Allergy is a common cause of acute and chronic illness, accounting
for approximately 10% of all patient visits to the physician’s
office and is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism. In
addition to producing chronic respiratory problems, allergy interferes
with normal growth and development, may cause physical disability
and poses substantial social and economic burdens, the latter of
which has been estimated in the U.S. to exceed $5 billion a year
for rhinitis alone.
Approximately $8 billion were spent
in 2001 on prescription allergy medications. Most of these prescriptions
were provided without benefit of identifying the causative allergens.
As a result, many of the patients who have received these drugs
will require chronic, perhaps life-long, drug therapy, the long-term
effects of which are unknown.
More importantly, early diagnosis
and treatment of the allergic patient has been shown to modify the
course of the disease and prevent subsequent development of other
conditions such as asthma.
This information is intended for education
purposes only and is not a substitute for the care of your health
care provider. Allergic patients are encouraged to consult their
physicians.
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