Responsibilities of the Primary Care Internist in the Care of the Allergic Patient

Excerpt

The incidence of various allergic diseases depends on the method of classification used in epidemiologic studies but involves a significant percentage of the population (1). This high-incidence disease is frequently associated with mild intermittent or chronic symptoms. However, allergic disease can be fatal, although the incidence of fatalities is low and most are avoidable. Between these extremes are patients with differing degrees of severity of disease ranging from moderate discomfort to an inability to lead a normal life, an inability to work, and to incapacitation. Most allergic patients can live comfortably if appropriate allergic management with modern pharmacotherapy or immunotherapy