What is the immunologist treating? List of diseases that are treated by an allergist-immunologist

Most people visit medical institutions only when necessary. We know what a therapist, a neurologist or a surgeon is doing, but the range of tasks of individual doctors remains unknown to us and at times is puzzling. What does the immunologist treat and in which case is it recommended to visit this particular specialist? If you do not know the answers to these questions, the information below will be not only interesting for you, but also useful.

What specific diseases can an immunologist heal?

What is the immunologist treating? As the name implies, the main specialty of a doctor is the definition and treatment of diseases associated with the human immune system. The list of problems, the presence of which obliges you to come to visit this medical worker, can be reduced to the following ailments:

• lichen;
• asthma;
• hives;
• Dermatitis due to allergies;
• candidiasis;
• Pulmonary fibrosis;
• HIV and others.

In addition to a specialist serving adults, there is an immunologist for children. What is this doctor treating ? The same diseases that occur in toddlers.

General tasks of a specialist

In addition to this list, you can give a general list of problem situations, in which allergist-immunologist should take part. To begin with, it should be noted that the immune system affects the entire human body, its susceptibility to various diseases and the degree of complexity of fighting them. That is why the activities of such a specialist can be connected with such areas as:

• Allergy to various external factors (medications, insect bites or animal hair, various household chemicals, etc.);
• Regularly manifested viral or chronic diseases;
• Manifestations of allergic diseases (rhinitis, conjunctivitis and others);
• Relapse of fungal diseases for a short period of time.

The information presented above fully reflects what the immunologist is treating. Be careful: if you are experiencing any of these diseases, be sure to visit a doctor.

How to understand that it's time for you to visit?

Now that you know who the immunologist is and what he is treating, it's time to talk about how to understand that you should sign up for an appointment with him. Symptoms of weakening the protective functions of the body are quite a lot, and most of them are difficult to diagnose for ordinary people. At the same time, there are a number of fairly simple signs that each of us can determine. These include:

• Frequent colds and ARI;
• Chronic exacerbations of chronic diseases;
• Increased overall fatigue;
• Reaction to external factors, expressed in skin rashes;
• Frequent cough caused by normal physical activity;
• Heavy breathing, shortness of breath;
• A common cold;
• Pain in the eyes, tearing, suppuration;
• herpes;
• Warts;
• Papillomas;
• Molluscum contagiosum ;
• Sleep disturbance, insomnia;
• Heightened over a long period of body temperature for no apparent reason.

How to prepare for an initial visit?

Knowing what the immunologist is treating, it is fairly easy to prepare for the first consultation visit. Collecting primary information will help you save valuable time and much quicker to start solving the existing problems. So, when you first visit such a specialist as an allergist-immunologist, it is recommended to bring with you:

• general blood analysis;
• Research on HIV;
• Immunological analysis.

Among other things, it is recommended that you consider, recall and specify your complaints and wishes. The doctor may also need information about hereditary diseases, the health status of your next of kin. Be prepared for the specialist to examine you.

How to identify a possible allergen?

Let's concretize, what actions the allergist-immunologist undertakes? What he heals, now you know, it remains to understand how. Most often, visits to this specialist are related to questions about various manifestations of allergies. To successfully cure the disease, it is extremely important to determine the factor provoking the disease. To search for a potential allergen, the following medical techniques can be used:

• Elimination tests. Conducted under the condition of constant contact with a possible food source of the reaction. They are included in adjusting the diet and removing allergens from the menu. With a decrease in external manifestations, the test can be considered positive.
• Provocative research. They are used only as a last resort, when other studies do not make it possible to clarify the situation, are conducted strictly under the supervision of a specialist. The essence of the test is in contact with the suspected allergen and human.
• Lab tests for antibodies. To carry out the experiment, it is necessary to donate blood from the vein. The doctor's task is to identify antibodies of immunoglobulins from the data obtained, and by their number determine the presence or absence of any allergy.
• Skin tests. They are considered to be the most simple, practical and at the same time effective. On the external surface of the skin, a small amount of a potential allergen is applied in liquid form, a neat incision or prick is made on it, and then the reaction is observed. If the result is positive, there may be a slight local swelling or redness.

The reasons for the weakening of your health

It is very important to follow the advice given by the immunologist. By following the simplest, but useful recommendations, you can maintain and strengthen your health, and therefore protect yourself from a large number of all kinds of ailments.

First of all, it is recommended to remember that a lowered level of immunity can be either permanent (chronic) or seasonal (manifested periodically due to certain external factors). And in either case, a set of correct measures will help you solve the problem, but its immunologist-doctor (that he heals, you already know) will determine.

After you understand that the cause of frequent diseases is the weakening of the protective function of the body, it is necessary to identify the negative prerequisites for such an event. These may include:

• Permanent negative impact on the nervous system (stresses, conflicts, emotional overstrain);
• Lack of useful habits (unhealthy diet, improper mode of the day, regular lack of sleep);
• External environmental factors (air pollution, etc.);
• Low level of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle;
• Genetically modified foods.

As for children, the protective function of their body often spoils the excessive sterility that parents create and cultivate from the very first days of their life.

What can be the general recommendations?

What will help you allergologist-immunologist? What heals and how does this doctor provide prophylaxis? Most likely, the expert will give you individual recommendations on nutrition, day regimen and hardening. In addition, he will prescribe you vitamins or special balanced supplements, the purpose of which is to strengthen the immune system and make up for the lack of useful components in the body.

A few words about children

Why do immunologists need children? After all, a newborn baby has little contact with the environment, bacteria and viruses that can harm his health, for the most part he is in an atmosphere of permanent sterility. In fact, everything is not as simple as it might seem. Problems with immunity can be not only acquired as a result of some external factors, but also congenital. That is why it is extremely important to identify and treat them at the earliest stage, otherwise there is a great chance of developing chronic, that is permanent diseases. The health of these babies worsens significantly during the socialization period when they begin to attend a kindergarten or school. You may notice that the child is often sick and does not tolerate even an ordinary cold badly. This is the first, basic symptom of the weakening of the protective function of his body. In this case, you will be helped by immunologists and children.

Instead of concluding

Now you know what the immunologist is doing, what he heals and what he answers for. Such information will certainly be very useful for everyone who cares about improving their health. Concern for immunity and prevention of its weakening in most cases consists in observance of a number of the simplest principles of a correct way of life. Timely treatment and precautions will allow you to avoid serious ailments in the future.