There is a lot of crossover with other specialties: ENT, dermatology, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine. But don’t worry you will not be stepping on anybody’s toes. These patients are usually referred to us by their respective specialists. Within the wider field of allergy there are several sub specialties such as: food allergy, immunotherapy or drug allergy.
Drug allergy is a new and exciting discipline. Here we deal with allergy to general and local anaesthetics, antibiotics and many other drugs. Have you ever looked after a patient labelled as penicillin allergic? Have you considered the restrictions this diagnosis puts on you and your patient? We are able to help by either refuting the diagnosis or confidently confirming it and offering safe alternatives. Have you ever dealt with a patient who became allergic to a life saving /prolonging drug such as rifampicin or platinum based drugs such as carboplatin. Did you know it is possible for these patients to undergo a process of desensitisation in order to continue with the treatment. It is in areas such as these that our expertise lies.
We are still learning about allergic diseases, discovering new allergens and possible ways we may be able to treat our patients. A lot of emphasis is put on research and if you are at all interested you will be encouraged to contribute, formally while studying for a research degree such as MD or PhD or by conducting an independent project.