Becoming a complete “asthmologist”

Choo-Kang LR. Chest. 2005;128:3093-3095.

Summary
This editorial explores the clinical value of specific IgE testing and trigger identification in patients with respiratory disease. It posits that expanded use among pulmonologists would greatly enhance patient care. A number of topics are discussed, including the role of allergies in asthma onset and severity, the support for allergy testing expressed in asthma expert guidelines, and the current state of allergy blood testing. According to Dr. Choo-Kang, expanded use of testing may not only aid treatment of existing asthma but also afford pulmonologists a means to “consider the roots and effects of allergen sensitization in all their patients, from the atopic infant to the adult with COPD and a questionable asthma component.”

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