Allergic rhinitis among the elderly poses a particularly difficult diagnostic challenge for the otolaryngologist. As people age, they undergo immunosenescence. The thymus, which produces T cells against new invaders, atrophies markedly after adolescence, and this decline results in a less robust immune response to bacteria, viruses and presumably allergens (J Pathol. 2007;211(2):144-156). Consequently, physicians have assumed that allergies should decline as people age.
The End of the Food Challenge Test?: Researchers seek new ways of diagnosing food allergy
New ways of diagnosing food allergies are on the horizon, with allergy experts hoping that it might be possible one day for many patients to avoid the traditional food challenge test (FCT).
A Patient Experiment
Berrylin J. Ferguson, MD, FACS, FAAOA, associate professor of otolaryngology and director of the Division of Sino-Nasal Disorders and Allergy at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, Pa., uses the following form to help determine which allergy treatments will work best for each patient.
Treating Allergic Rhinitis: A Patient Experiment
Berrylin J. Ferguson, MD, FACS, FAAOA, associate professor of otolaryngology and director of the Division of Sino-Nasal Disorders and Allergy at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, Pa., uses the following form to help determine which allergy treatments will work best for each patient.
Beijing’s Air Quality Affects Olympic Athletes’ Performance
Otolaryngologists, immunologists, and other physicians specializing in asthma, allergies, and additional respiratory disorders watched the 2008 Beijing Olympics with bated breath.
Eosinophils Are the Villains in Sinus Inflammation
Eosinophils are the bane of nasal mucosa, and no one knows better than Fredrick A. Kuhn, MD, of the Georgia Nasal and Sinus Institute in Savannah, GA-a region where it is not uncommon for otolaryngologists to see patients presenting with polyps.
‘Mind-Body-Spirit’: Holistic Otolaryngologists Have a Different Perspective
Of the more than 13,000 health care providers who are members of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, exactly three of them officially practice holistic otolaryngology as members of the American Holistic Medical Association, which itself is only about 1,000 members strong and just now entering its 30th year.
Former AAOA Heads Take on Allergic Rhinitis
An expert panel containing three former American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy presidents recently provided a look at the future of allergic rhinitis, as well as a refresher on how best to treat it.
The Etiology of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Remains Unclear
