5th March 2009
New children's allergy clinic proves a success
Statistics state that around 45% of people in the UK will suffer adverse reactions to what they eat at sometime, which is why it the children’s allergy clinic at St John’s Hospital is proving to be so popular.
The monthly clinics, which began in September 2008, are run in conjunction with the adult allergy clinics run by Dr Steve Jenkins at Broomfield. The children’s allergy clinic is the brainchild of consultant paediatrician, Dr Aloke Agrawal, who is assisted by Sister Jacqui Banks.
Dr Agrawal said:” Throughout my medical career I have always been involved in helping children who have allergies and have been allergy testing for the past 10 years. My colleague, Dr Jenkins and his team, have run a very established adult allergy clinic for a number of years. In this clinic they are able to desensitise patients against allergies, for instance hay fever, and also look in detail into complex drug allergies, if space permits. About two years ago I decided it would make sense to bring the allergy testing for children into one main clinic where the patients can be tested and get the results in one appointment, so I did some research, developed the protocols and launched the children’s allergy clinic in September last year.”
The clinic, which sees 12 children each month, involves them undergoing a series of tests to find out what foods they are allergic to. This is done by a skin prick test that introduces such a tiny amount of allergen into the skin on the child’s arm that testing is quite safe. With a positive reaction to an allergen the skin becomes itchy within a few minutes and then becomes red and swollen with a "weal" in the centre (very much like the reaction to a nettle sting). The size of the “weal” is then measured which indicates that a level of anti-bodies are /or are not present which may be causing the symptoms.
Sister Jacqui Banks, who runs the clinic with Dr Agrawal, said:” My role is to carry out the allergy testing which usually takes about 15 minutes. I have had special training to be able to do this. We do all of the testing on the child’s arm using a simple skin prick test, which can feel a little uncomfortable, but is usually painless. Myself or Dr Agrawal then reads the results before the family have a consultation with Dr Agrawal to discuss the outcome and decide on the best course of action. My colleague, Ineke Daniel, has also been trained to do the skin prick testing. ”
Six year old Mia Margrave from Chelmsford visited the allergy clinic recently as she has suffered allergic reactions to several foods since she was a baby. Her mum said:” Mia is now six years old and because of the reactions she has had to certain foods in the past she is reluctant to try any new foods, which can prove very difficult. By bringing her to the allergy clinic we were able to find out which foods she is definitely allergic to so we know what she can and cannot eat. I am hoping that if she is told by the doctor what foods she can eat it will encourage her to try more new foods.”
Dr Agrawal said:” When I see a patient I need to identify if there are any genetic reasons why a child might be allergic to certain foods and if they have any other allergies, such as eczema. Usually if there is no family history of allergies and they haven’t had a particularly bad reaction to one of the allergens I am happy to see the child again in two years time to repeat the test and see if things have changed.
“If the test results indicate that the child could suffer a severe reaction to a food then I will issue the parents with an EpiPen and provide them with some training in its use before they leave the clinic. Even though an EpiPen can prove invaluable I always reiterate to parents that this doesn’t replace vigilance and food surveillance on their part to ensure the child doesn’t eat any foods that will provoke an allergic reaction.
The advice regarding allergies is constantly changing. For example a few years ago the advice was that anyone suffering form a nut allergy would have it for life and now the advice is that it is long lasting rather than life long. I am confident that in another two years the advice will have changed again.”
ENDS
Media contact : Jo Triggs tel: (01245) 514235 | Mobile : 0790 005 4948
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