SPECIALT Y PROFILE
WellNow Urgent Care Offers Allergy Testing and Treatment Randi Minetor
When Jeanne Lomas, DO, was the associate program director for the University of Rochester’s allergy and immunology fellowship program, she discovered a disturbing trend that would eventually limit services to patients. “I attended a national meeting for allergy fellowship leadership,” she said. “Many programs had empty slots— which is crazy, because subspecialty fellowships are highly competitive. Allergists are retiring faster than new ones are being trained. Many areas of the country just cannot recruit allergists.” Meanwhile, more people have allergies than ever in recorded history. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) reports that the number of people with allergic diseases has risen steadily in the industrialized world for more than 50 years. At least 40 percent of schoolchildren worldwide have a sensitivity to
“The numbers of patients with access to treatment is decreasing, while the prevalence of allergic diseases is increasing” one or more common allergens, and about 13 percent of people in the US over the age of 18 have sinusitis, an allergyaggravated chronic condition. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and immunology (ACAAI) tell us that allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in America, with 19.2 million adults and 5.2 million children diagnosed with allergic
Jeanne Lomas, DO
rhinitis (hay fever) alone. A remarkable 9.2 million American children had skin allergies (rash or hives) in 2018, with Black children dominating these numbers. As high as the numbers are for respiratory and skin allergies, the impact of food allergies is even higher. About 32 million people in the US are allergic to one of the eight foods that cause most reactions: eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat. Anaphylaxis, the most severe and life-threating reaction to a specific food, produces 30,000 emergency room visits annually, according to FoodSafety.gov.
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