Allergies are your body’s reaction to something that is harmless for most people. You can be allergic to a wide variety of things, including certain foods, pets, and medications; others are allergic to dust, mold, pollen, or latex. Allergies are very common; more than 100 million Americans experience some allergies each year, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Anyone can develop an allergy, though if your parents had allergies, you are more likely to have them. Sometimes children outgrow allergies. Allergies are not contagious.

Allergy symptoms, too, run the gamut from watery eyes and a stuffy nose to rashes and hives. More extreme allergic reactions include difficulty breathing, racing heartbeat, and decreased blood pressure. Allergies do not cause a fever. Experts at Mount Sinai Doctors in Queens can help with all of this.

Conditions We Treat

Allergists at Mount Sinai Doctors in Queens treat a range of symptoms including:

• Allergic rhinitis and sinusitis
• Asthma
• Eczema and allergic skin disorders
• Eosinophilic esophagitis and gastroenteritis
• Insect allergies, including severe reactions to bee stings
• Food allergies
• Immune deficiency
• Medication allergies
• Urticaria and angioedema

Diagnosis

Sometimes it can be easy to figure out what is causing the allergic reaction; for instance, if you experience extreme inflammation and redness around a bug bite, the insect is likely the problem. If you sneeze every time you pet a cat, you’re probably allergic to pets. Other times, though, such as with food allergies, it is more complicated to determine what is causing the reaction; often, the allergen is a single ingredient in a dish or one part of a larger meal. At Mount Sinai Doctors in Queens, we use a variety of techniques to diagnose allergies, depending on the type of allergy. These include:

Skin test: We put a little bit of the possible allergen on your skin. Then we prick or scratch through the drop. If you develop redness, swelling, or itching, you are likely allergic to that substance.

Intradermal skin test: We inject a tiny amount of the possible allergen under your skin. Again, reactions such as redness, swelling, or itching suggest you are allergic.

Patch test: We place a small amount of the possible allergen on your skin and cover it with a bandage. If your skin is red and inflamed 48 to 96 hours later, you have an allergy.

Blood test: We take a blood sample and send it to a lab for testing. There is a high rate of false positives with this approach.

Services We Offer

Most allergies can’t be cured, but we can help with symptoms. At Mount Sinai Doctors in Queens, we offer a variety of services, depending on your individual needs. These include:

• Home aerosol and nebulizer therapy: Medicated mist that you breath in through a mask or mouthpiece
• Immunotherapy: Injections of the allergen, increasing in strength, to increase your immunity to the substance
• Intravenous immunoglobulin: Providing antibodies through an IV drip directly into your veins 
• Metered dose inhalers and breath-activated devices: A device similar to a nebulizer, in which the device automatically gives you the right dosage
• Over-the-counter and prescription allergy medications: usually in the form of pills or nasal sprays
• Peak flow meter monitoring: A handheld device that measures how well your breath is flowing
• Sublingual immunotherapy: An under-the-tongue treatment for nasal and eye symptoms

We also recommend avoiding whatever causes your allergic reaction. This can mean not smoking, vacuuming regularly, or limiting time with pets.