Control Your Allergies & Asthma

What is an Allergist/Immunologist?

Listen to Dr. Metcalfe and learn what an allergist/ immunologist does.

Immunology is the study of the complex and sophisticated immune system. The immune system is a network of cells and organs that work together to defend the body against attacks by "foreign" invaders or germs. The body provides an excellent environment for germs. When they do break into a system, it is the immune system's job to keep them out or to seek and destroy them.

Clinical immunologists research new tests and treatments involving allergic and immunologic disorders of the immune system. They work with physicians in general practice and in hospital-based specialties to treat diseases using complex and sophisticated clinical techniques. The science of clinical immunology is a fast developing area of the medical profession. The role of the immunologist is increasingly important, both in laboratory work and in patient care.

Prevalence of allergic and immunologic disorders
Allergic and immunologic diseases are common chronic conditions that affect 50 million Americans. According to 1994 data from the Centers for Disease Control, over 14 million people suffer from asthma. This number is almost double the rate reported in 1980. Other studies indicate the prevalence of asthma is rising, especially in urban areas, and the mortality rate due to severe asthma is increasing. Approximately 9% of Americans suffer from allergic rhinitis, or hayfever, resulting in almost $4 billion in lost workplace productivity. Additionally, 35 million suffer from chronic sinusitis. There are over 70 forms of primary immunodeficiency, affecting more people than leukemia and lymphoma combined, and an even larger number of autoimmune and other immunologic diseases.

Role of the immunologist
An immunologist may manage patients with the following types of problems or conduct research on:

Diseases of the respiratory tract, such as allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Skin rashes, including atopic dermatitis or contact dermatitis
Gastrointestinal disorders caused by immune responses to foods
Adverse reactions to drugs, other pharmacologic agents and diagnostic testing materials
Diseases associated with autoimmune responses to self-antigens
Symptoms or disorders caused by immunodeficiency
Stem cell, bone marrow and organ transplantation
Immunogenetics

Frequently Asked Questions

William T. Shearer, MD, PhD, FAAAAI is a professor of pediatrics and immunology at Texas Children’s Hospital. Below, Dr. Shearer addresses some frequently asked questions about the role of an allergist/immunologist.

What is a clinical immunologist?

A clinical immunologist is a physician who specializes in diseases that involve the absence, participation, or over-reaction of immune cells and antibodies.

What kind of research does a clinical immunologist do?

The research performed by a clinical immunologist includes clinical and basic research, but leans more toward discovering underlying scientific principles, mechanisms and genetic causes of diseases of the immune system.

How can an immunologist help patients?

The number of clinical conditions managed by traditional clinical immunologists is great: primary and secondary immunodeficiency, rheumatologic diseases, vasculitis, immunologic lung diseases, immune-mediated endocrine disorders, immune-mediated renal disease, gastroenterologic disorders with an immune basis, neuromuscular diseases with an immune component, immunohematologic disorders, and some forms of cancer. All of these areas of medicine represent subspecialty fields. The resident in allergy and immunology training programs has considerable knowledge of the scientific principles of these diseases and can serve as a referral source for patients to a clinical immunologist. The specialty of clinical immunology offers cross-disciplinary expertise in many non-IgE-mediated diseases involving the immune system.

How do I know when I should see an immunologist?

The symptoms of immune disorders depend upon the body system affected by immunological disease. Skin rashes/swelling, can be the sign of abnormal immune function targeting the layers of the skin. Swelling and pain in the joints may signal the beginning of rheumatoid arthritis. Defective insulin production in early youth indicates the onset of immune-mediated diabetes mellitus. Progressive motor and sensory nerve deterioration may indicate autoimmune disease that targets the nervous system. Many times, patients with these and other symptoms need primary consultation with internists and pediatricians prior to referral to clinical immunologists.