Valley Health System is offering personalized care for children and adults facing allergies, asthma and immune-related conditions.
Allergies occur when the immune system reacts to a foreign substance that is usually not harmful. Asthma is a chronic lung condition that causes inflammation and the narrowing of the airways, making it difficult to breathe. Immune-related conditions occur when the immune system is either unable to defend against infections or attacks the body instead of defending it.
Allergies can often cause asthma, and both conditions create immune dysregulation. These conditions can cause shortness of breath and skin reactions, disrupt daily routines and lead to emotional and psychological distress. Some may even be life-threatening.
Valley’s allergy and immunology team works to pinpoint the reasons behind certain allergic reactions through different allergy tests and immune evaluations, such as skin testing, blood work, oral food challenges, pulmonary function testing and patch testing.
“Allergic and immune disorders vary widely from person to person, and what works for one patient may not work for another,” said Dr. Veronica Azmy, allergist and immunologist at Valley Health System.
Once an allergen is identified, the team will work with the patient to develop a personalized treatment plan. The team works closely with other specialties, including pulmonology, dermatology and rheumatology. Treatment options vary depending on the allergy or immune condition presented, but both inpatient and outpatient options are available.
This can include environmental control measures, nasal sprays, oral medications, biologic injections, food oral immunotherapy, and intravenous and subcutaneous immunoglobulin infusions.
“Our expanded program is designed to not only identify precisely what triggers a patient’s symptoms, but also to develop a care plan that fits their daily life, supports long-term health, and offers hope for improved outcomes,” said Azmy.
Conditions treated include seasonal and perennial allergies; food allergies; drug allergies; insect and venom allergies; allergic asthma; allergic contact dermatitis; anaphylaxis; immunodeficiency syndromes; low immunoglobulin levels, where the body does not produce adequate amounts of antibodies; and hyper eosinophilia syndrome, a condition where there are abnormally high eosinophils in the blood, which are the white blood cells that play a role in allergic reactions.
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