Allergy is a very common disease affecting a significant section of the general population. The incidence of allergy has been growing globally and it generally affects children and younger adults. Quality of life of affected people gets compromised due to the symptoms caused by allergy. Young children find it very difficult to cope up with the problems created by an allergy. Attention patterns and social activity of children get badly affected. When the problem is persistent, even if it is mild, it makes a large dent in the quality of life either at school, work place, and playground or at a social gathering. Early intervention is necessary in such cases to avoid permanent damage, enhance productivity and improve the personality.

Allergy is a systemic disease. It cuts across the entire system of the human organism but it may manifest in one or more organs. It generally affects skin and mucous membrane of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. Common allergy symptoms are Sneezing, Running nose, Nose block; Itching in the Nose, Eyes, Inner Canthi of the Eyes, Mouth, Palate, Throat, Ears, Chest and the Skin; Burning, Redness, Sensation of a Foreign Body, Increased Tears and Swelling of Eyes; Heaviness and Headache; Migraine-like symptoms; Cough, Wheeze and Breathlessness; Hives, Eczema and Diffuse Swelling of the Skin, Ear block and Deafness; and rarely Swelling of the Joints, Giddiness, Vomiting, Insufficient growth and Anaphylaxis. Majority of Bronchial asthma cases are due to allergy.

If normal people produce protective antibodies, allergic people produce a different type of allergy-causing antibodies due to a shift in their immunity. That is why whenever such people are exposed to allergens and or other triggers, they get the symptoms. Allergy-causing substances or allergens may be Ingestants in the form of a food or a beverage. Commonest among them are protein-rich substances like Legumes (Bengal gram, Black gram, Red gram), Milk, Chocolate, Wheat, Egg albumin, Nuts, Fish, Prawns, Crab, Lobster, Food Additives, Coloring Agents, Preservatives and Medicines like Aspirin, Sulfonamides, Antibiotics, Analgesics and Anti-inflammatory drugs. Allergens may be injectable like Penicillin and Honey-Bee Sting. Most common allergens are present in the ambient air as tiny little microscopic and biologically active particles. Common indoor allergens are Dust Mites present in the House Dust, Cockroach and other Insects, Fungal Spores, Dried Salivary Droplets from the Pets. Outdoor air also contains Fungal Spores. But more than them the Pollen Grains of wind-pollinated plants like Grasses, Weeds and some Trees, are abundantly present in the ambient air. Since the pollen are a few microns in size and are non-sticky, they are easily airborne and are carried for many miles due to eddies in the wind current. When susceptible people come in contact with or inhale any of these allergens, they get the classical symptoms of allergy.

Allergy always commences as a mild and small difficulty, and slowly more and more body-parts get involved. Most of the Allergic Asthma patients would have initially started with symptoms in the nose. Similarly Eczema starts as a small patch and can involve a larger skin-area. Timely intervention will facilitate better treatment and return to normalcy early. In asthma, allergic inflammation causes obstructive airway disease.

As long as this obstruction remains reversible, adequate treatment can be done and the patient can be made stable and comfortable. Airway remodeling can occur in improperly managed and long-standing cases when effective treatment becomes difficult. Early intervention will ensure satisfactory results.

Allergy-Immunology Clinic has facility to do complete management of all types of allergy patients. Each patient undergoes a computerized analysis. Nasal Endoscopy is done when necessary to assess the nasal disease. Lung Function Tests are done to estimate the lung physiology. Medication for symptomatic relief, review and monitoring are necessary for a proper care of the patient. Allergy Tests are done to establish the presence of allergy, detect the causative allergens and grade their severity. Counseling is done for food allergy and contact allergy. For airborne allergens, which cannot be avoided, Vaccine Immunotherapy for the particular allergens is done so that the patients get immunized for those allergens. Immunotherapy is the only available therapeutic tool to modulate the course of allergy for a complete benefit. Complimentary measures to control the environmental aspects and certain changes in the life-style of patients will make the whole approach a holistic one and thus over a course of time, a cure of allergy and control of the entire disease is achieved.

Dr. P. Anand is an E.N.T. Surgeon and Allergy-Immunology Specialist whose pioneering effort in 1978, established the first Allergy-Immunology Clinic of Karnataka. Year 2003 is apparently the Silver Jubilee Year for this unique Clinical Setup.

Dr. Anand has had applied postgraduate training in the field of allergy and asthma at Delhi University and further hands-on learning experience at London and Cambridge in England, Vancouver in Canada, Chicago in USA and Amsterdam in Holland. He has been a Principal Investigator in several major research projects on clinical allergy, pollen aerobiology, asthma, house dust mites and Epidemiology. He has presented guest lectures and scientific papers at various national and international forums with publications of Papers in Journals and Chapters in Textbooks. He has delivered lectures on public education and environmental awareness at many platforms. He has conducted many free asthma camps for poor people at various places in Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. He has spearheaded several public action programs related to restoration and protection of environmental issues.