Allergies - diagnosis and treatment in Vienna

Effective allergy tests

Many allergies can now be diagnosed very accurately using skin and laboratory tests. The standard diagnostic test includes a skin test on the forearm (prick test) and a blood sample. In addition, a breath test can be carried out to check the lungs(lung function test). This specific diagnosis opens up ways to alleviate or cure the condition. Most allergies are to pollen, animal hair or house dust mites. However, allergies to food, medicines or bee and wasp venom can also occur in rare cases.

Please contact JUVENIS by phone at +43 1 236 3020by e-mail to empfang@juvenismed.at or via the contact formto make an appointment for a consultation or treatment.

What is hay fever and how does it develop?

Spring at last, warm weather and everything starts to bloom: one man's joy, another man's sorrow. The pollen season starts earlier and earlier and the number of allergy sufferers has risen steadily in recent years. For almost 2 million Austrians, this is a time of suffering. Pollen allergy sufferers' noses start to run, their eyes water, their heads ache and they find it difficult to breathe.

Hay fever occurs as a result of hypersensitivity of the immune system to proteins from various plant pollen. The allergy triggers get onto the mucous membranes via the air we breathe and the immune system begins a violent inflammatory reaction in the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. Histamine is released, blood vessels dilate, the tissue swells and inflammatory cells migrate. As a result, the nasal mucous membranes swell and the bronchial tubes constrict. Without treatment, an allergy can become dangerous, as the symptoms from the eyes and nose can spread to the lungs. This can develop into allergic asthma.

What is an insect venom allergy?

Dermatologist Dr. Christine Bangert from the JUVENIS medical center in Vienna, explains the topic of insect venom allergy in this video:

• When do we speak of an insect venom allergy?
• How does an insect venom allergy develop?
• How many people are allergic to insects?

The video can be viewed online here: Video Basics of insect venom allergy

Further online training courses on this topic can be found under this link: Videos for online training on insect venom allergy

• Understanding insect venom allergy
• Treatment of insect venom allergies
• Emergency anaphylactic shock

Allergy diagnostics

The right diagnosis leads to the right treatment. A detailed allergological history, a skin test and component-based diagnostics such as the ImmunoCAP microchip test are very helpful.

Blood test - component-based diagnostics - ImmunoCAP microchip test

A further step is a blood test, which can be used in component-based diagnostics to specifically determine which protein components are responsible for the allergies. The ImmunoCAP microchip test, which was developed in Vienna, is a gentle and accurate method. All that is required is a blood sample. It is the only allergy test in the world that allows 112 allergen molecules to be tested in a single run. Used as a screening method right at the beginning, the test provides important information about the actual causes of allergic symptoms.

Pulmonary function test

A lung function test is highly advisable in the event of a suspected or already diagnosed allergy affecting the airways (pollen, house dust, animal dander, mold, etc.). The aim of the lung function test is to determine the functional state of the airways and lungs as accurately as possible.

Please contact JUVENIS by phone at +43 1 236 3020by e-mail to empfang@juvenismed.at or via the contact formto make an appointment for a consultation or treatment.

Cross allergies

A large number of allergies to tree, grass and herb pollen, as well as house dust mite allergies, can lead to cross-reactions with allergens in food. The immune system reacts to proteins in food that are similar to proteins in pollen and are "confused" by the immune system. Cross-reactions are particularly common to nuts, stone fruit and seafood.

Typically, a burning sensation or numbness occurs in the lips, and the tongue may also swell (oral allergy syndrome). Less frequently, symptoms also occur in the larynx, oesophagus and gastrointestinal tract, or in more distant organs such as the lungs (asthma), skin (hives, seizure-like redness) or affect the entire organism.

What can you do yourself?

Therapies for allergies and hay fever

Our allergy therapy is based on the following 3 pillars:

Specific immunotherapy uses effective vaccines against hay fever that modulate the immune system so that it no longer reacts "allergically". This vaccination is an allergen-specific immunotherapy that is either administered subcutaneously (injected under the skin) or taken sublingually (in tablet or droplet form). Treatment should be carried out consistently for at least three years in order to achieve success. Depending on the symptoms, it may also be advisable to treat the symptoms with medication.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only form of allergy treatment that acts directly on the causative disease processes. The principle is repeated, controlled contact with an allergy-triggering substance (an allergen). The result is that the body slowly loses its hypersensitivity to the allergen.

In principle, there are two types of specific immunotherapy/hyposensitization:

1. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT): In SCIT, the allergen is injected under the skin, usually on the back of the upper arm. After the SCIT has been administered, we ask you to remain in our waiting area for half an hour. This allows us to intervene if any side effects occur. There are different treatment regimens. Depending on this, one injection per week may be necessary at the beginning. Later, the intervals between injections are extended to up to eight weeks. In another scheme, only 4 injections are necessary per year.
2. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT): In SLIT, the allergen is taken as a tablet or in the form of drops under the tongue. It should be taken at the same time of day and is usually administered daily.