When Should Patients Be Referred to an Allergist?

A recent National Institutes of Health panel report recommends that asthma patients should be referred to a specialist when:

Patients have difficulty achieving or maintaining control of their condition. Patients have had a life-threatening asthma attack. Patients are not meeting the goals of asthma therapy after three to six months of treatment or are not responding to current therapy. Patients have symptoms that are unusual or difficult to diagnose. Patients have other conditions such as severe hay fever or sinusitis that complicate their asthma or diagnosis. Patients need additional diagnostic tests to determine the severity of their asthma and what causes their asthma symptoms. Patients require additional education or guidance on the complications of therapy, adhering to their treatment plan, or avoiding asthma triggers. Patients are candidates for immunotherapy. Patients have severe persistent asthma. Patients require continuous oral corticosteroid therapy or high-dose inhaled corticosteroids, or have taken more than two bursts of oral corticosteroids in one year.

The guidelines also recommend that children should see an asthma specialist if they are under the age of 3 with moderate or severe asthma, or if they are beginning daily long-term therapy.

Source: The Role of the Allergist in Cost-Effective Treatment of Asthma. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Arlington Heights, IL.