Meet Your Paediatric Allergy Specialist
Hello!
I am a UK trained paediatric allergist. I studied medicine at the University of Athens Medical School and I completed the specialty training in the UK where I worked as paediatric allergy consultant.
Paediatric allergy is very interesting, developing and complex subspecialty. The atopic diseases include a wide range of conditions which are the focus of my field:
- Food allergy
- Allergic rhinitis and rhino-conjuctivitis
- Asthma and pre-school wheeze
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
- Acute and chronic urticaria
- Insect venom allergy
- Drug allergy
In my private practice the following diagnostic tests are delivered:
- Skin prick tests
- Food and drug provocation tests under supervision
- Lung function test (spirometry)
I take care of patients from birth up to 18 years of age.
The cornerstone of my practice is the utilisation of my knowledge and skills in order to improve the quality of life of the patients with atopic disease. My priority is communication with the family and shared decision making in order to make a management plan that accommodates the family’s priorities, whilst taking into account the current knowledge and scientific evidence.
It is equally important not only to make the right diagnosis but also to give the right label to symptoms that mimic atopic disease.
More info…
Atopic conditions are interlinked together and there is the well known atopic march which is the natural history of atopic diseases as they develop over the course of infancy and childhood. It is currently known that prompt management of specific atopic conditions might prevent or influence the severity of another one.
In the following pages you will find useful information on the atopic conditions that are managed in the practice. This however does not replace history taking and individualised diagnostic tests and management plans.
One of the most common problems I have seen in my clinical experience is unnecessary exclusion of food groups. This does not only deprive the child from the nutrients but also affects quality of life and social life both at home and in school. It can also lead to great anxiety when the child is in school or the family is eating out.
Another common problem is the dismiss of symptoms of allergic rhinitis in children. Studies have shown that treating allergic rhinitis can prevent asthma or affect the severity of symptoms when children are already diagnosed with asthma. There are also clinical conditions where food allergy can present differently in children with allergic rhinitis. For example there are teenagers that develop new symptoms when eating nuts or fresh fruit in the presence of allergic rhinitis.
In the practice we will discuss in detail the history of symptoms, perform skin prick tests where indicated and will request further blood tests where applicable. The diagnostic tools in allergy are evolving. It is established practice to do molecular tests where component testing (parts of the protein that are specific to that allergen) will shed light in cases of diagnostic difficulty. Where applicable we will perform a supervised challenge (provocation test) to food to explore what form and in what quantity this can be consumed.
Few tips for the first visit:
The practice’s interior has been developed with great enthusiasm in order to offer a pleasant environment for the children.
We will be spending around 1 hour on our first appointment and you might want to bring your child’ s favourite snacks and toys from home.
If possible your child should avoid using antihistamines for 5 days prior to the appointment so we can perform skin prick test if this is required as antihistamines affect the results.
Antihistamines that should be avoided for 5 days prior to your visit (list is not exhaustive):
- Zyrtec® (cetirizine)
- Claritin®, Alavert ® (loratadine)
- Allegra® (fexofenadine)
- Benadryl® (diphenhydramine)
- Atarax®, Vistaril® (hydroxyzine)
- Xyzal® (levocetirizine)
- Clarinex® (desloratadine)
- Periactin® (cyproheptadine)
- Bilaz® (bilastine)
If possible please avoid steroid cream on the forearm and the back of your child for 5 days prior to the appointment.
Short term oral corticosteroids (30mg daily for a week) do not supress skin testing.
If your child attends for asthma review please avoid bronchodilators (eg Ventolin, either as syrup or inhaler) on the day of the appointment if this is possible.
By all means your child should continue using the above medication if it is clinically required.
If your child attends for assessment of food allergy please:
- bring in any ingredients list that you have from packed products. If symptoms developed after meal from school or restaurant, request ingredients list where possible.
- bring in separate containers suspected food that might have triggered the symptoms in small quantity as these can be used for prick to prick testing. This is usually food consumed one hour before the symptoms. Each food should not be in contact with other substances eg sauce.If the food is usually eaten cooked eg meat, legumes or fish then please bring both cooked and raw samples. If the possible trigger is fruit or veg these need to be brought in unprocessed (raw).
- Photos of skin lesions and videos of symptoms eg from breathing are very useful.