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Suggest Treatment For Allergies

Posted on Mon, 8 Jun 2015

Question: Hello,

I am 47 years old and suffer allergies and a heart condition. I take 10 mg of Cetirizine Hydrochloride and Pirinase nasal spray (daily) for my allergies, which have been severe in the past.

A month ago I suffered a really bad cold with a sore throat which affected my voice. After 10 days I felt better but now about every week I get a day of having a sore throat, chills and sneezes which could be a flare up of my allergies. It seems to happen more when I go outside. I can't open my window much at night due to my allergies. However when it gets really warm I open the window a little but it can cause me to cough and bring up a lot of (clear) mucus.

Do you have any suggestions on how I can better control my allergies?

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Throat Swab for C/S.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. Get a throat swab done as you have multiple episodes of sore throat.

2. The rest of the symptoms imply allergy and a transient viral infection.

3. Add regular steam inhalation, saline nasal washes to your current treatment.

4. For long term relief, it is advised that you under go skin prick tests and blood tests for immunoglobulin levels, food intolerance tests. Desensitisation can the be attempted.

5. There does seem to be an allergy related to either change of temperature / humidity or pollen as your allergy worsens of you keep the windows open.

I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any more questions I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sumit Bhatti (35 minutes later)

Thank you for your response.

I had an allergy test 9 years ago, it could have been a RAST test. I had been quite ill prior to testing where the allergies had got so bad they weakened me, they can also affect my heart. On one occasion my blood pressure dropped significantly with it.

I had a blood test prior to the allergy testing and before taking antihistamines. The test found my IgE level was at 179 when the normal reading should be <81 (I was informed).

I took an allergy test whilst taking antihistamines as I couldn't stop them because of how the allergies were affecting my heart so the reading came back normal. The Allergist did say that testing can be disappointing at times.

My Cardiologist advises against stopping my antihistamines even though I would love to be free of them.

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
I would advise a re-test.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for writing back.

1. Continued use of anti-histamines during an allergy test will affect the test results.

2. There has been a vast improvement in the standardization and types of allergy tests since the last decade.

3. I would advise a re-test. If your doctors feel that you may have a sever reaction to in-vivo tests, in-vitro tests on blood can be done first.

I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any more questions I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sumit Bhatti (37 minutes later)

Thank you Doctor for all your helpful advice.

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (9 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Upload the test results.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for writing back.

Upload the test results as and when they are done.

I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any more questions I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Note: For further information on diet changes to reduce allergy symptoms or to boost your immunity, Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar