Approximately 1/3 of the total population suffers from one or more allergies. Over the course of a lifetime, more than 20% of children and more than 30% of adults will develop an allergic disease.
Allergic diseases lead to a reduced quality of life and are often associated with acute symptoms, including allergic shock (anaphylaxis), which is why differential diagnosis and treatment are so important.
The most common allergic diseases include bronchial asthma, hay fever (allergic rhinitis with sensitization to inhaled antigens), neurodermatitis, hives (urticaria), contact eczema and food and insect allergies.
Food allergy is a special form of food intolerance. It is characterized by a specific hypersensitivity to certain substances contained in food.
A distinction is made between primary and secondary food allergies as a result of cross-allergies. In children, food allergies occur predominantly to milk, eggs, meat, fish, nuts and soya.
In adolescents and adults, secondary food allergies are often caused by cross-allergies as part of sensitization to inhalation allergens.
An example of this is oral allergy syndrome (OAS), e.g. birch pollen allergy and cross-reactivity to apple. However, primary severe allergies to e.g. peanuts are also possible.
People with food allergies are two to four times more likely to also have other allergies.
In the last 20 years, the frequency of hospitalizations due to food-induced anaphylaxis has tripled.
In our allergy consultation, we carry out diagnostics and treatment for a wide range of allergic conditions.
These include:
In addition, clinical pictures that cross over into gastroenterology:
In addition to a detailed allergy anamnesis, we carry out targeted diagnostics to determine the cause of the symptoms.
We carry out allergen-specific immunotherapy (hyposensitization) for allergies to inhaled antigens (hay fever) and insect venoms.
In the case of food allergies, a detailed anamnesis and diagnosis is followed by allergological and gastroenterological nutritional advice with the creation of individual diets and food therapy plans.
Our range of treatments also includes the treatment of urticaria, angioedema, anaphylaxis, eosinophilic oesophagitis, mastocytosis/mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), coeliac disease, SIBO (small intestinal mal-colonization) and irritable bowel syndrome.
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Dr. med. Maike A. Machnick-Meyer
Specialist in internal medicine,
Pneumology and allergology
PD Dr. Viola Andresen
Specialist in internal medicine,
Gastroenterology and nutritional medicine
Sogol Vakili
Ecotrophologist | Nutritional therapist and consultant
20354 Hamburg
20354 Hamburg
20354 Hamburg
22607 Hamburg-Othmarschen
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