Allergic? Meritus Allergy & Asthma Specialists can tell you

Are you allergic to penicillin? Yes? Are you sure?

Now, it’s reasonable enough to think that you don’t want to go around testing to see if you really are allergic to the things you have documented allergies too. But … Get this …

“Approximately 95% of patients with a reported penicillin allergy actually don’t have one,” said Dr. Seemal Awan of Meritus Allergy & Asthma Specialists.

It’s okay, take a second and read it again, because we know it’s shocking! However, if you are one of those people with a penicillin allergy documented on your medical record, the good news is that there’s a safe, easy and effective way to test it. Before we get that far, it’s important to understand exactly how this happens with penicillin.

“There are two reasons,” Awan said. “First, people are labeled as being allergic when they are young, and simply never get retested to see if they outgrew the allergy. And the other reason is that they were never actually allergic in the first place,” she added.

For some people, having a documented penicillin allergy isn’t really a big deal. For others, however, they may not be able to use the best treatment options if they have this particular documented allergy.

“This really impacts people with chronic conditions, because they are the ones who are using antibiotics the most. Additionally, if you’re pregnant and need antibiotics, for example, and have a penicillin allergy, your options become more limited,” Awan said.

Ready to de-label yourself of that penicillin allergy? Awan is starting a penicillin challenge clinic in order to de-label patients of their penicillin allergy for people who think they may fall into this land of uncertainty.

The testing process is fairly straightforward — it starts with skin testing, the same as for any environmental or seasonal allergy.

“A little prick; nothing like a shot,” Awan said. “If the skin testing is negative, there’s more than a 95% chance there is no allergy,” she said.

Following a negative skin test, the patient is given a very small amount of penicillin.

“We closely monitor the patient, and then if they are able to tolerate the small amount, we give a larger dose. Patients are monitored for an hour after the larger dose, and the penicillin challenge is complete. Patients are no longer labeled as having a penicillin allergy,” she said.

Speaking of allergies, maybe penicillin isn’t really a concern for you or your family. However — those buds about to burst open on the trees are alarming! Runny nose? Constant sneezing? Itchy, watery eyes? If this describes you during allergy season, you’re not alone.

Millions of people suffer from allergies and if you’re one of them, spring can be quite miserable.

“This year we recorded the earliest pollen count since our records began in 1988,” Awan said. “This means that potentially you may see those seasonal allergies start to show up early,” she added.

It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider to determine exactly what is causing your symptoms to rule out something more serious, and to get advice on what treatments may be effective to you.

During allergy season, you can find the daily pollen count on the homepage of MeritusHealth.com.

For more information on scheduling an appointment with Meritus Allergy & Asthma Specialists, go to MeritusHealth.com/Allergy.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Allergic? Meritus Allergy & Asthma Specialists can tell you