Allergy and Immunology

Conditions Treated

The Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center offers consultation, treatment and diagnostic testing for children with allergic disorders, including:

Allergic conjunctivitis
Allergic rhinitis
Asthma
Atopic Dermatitis (aka eczema)
Drug allergies
Eosinophilic disorders, including

Eosinophilic colitis
Eosinophilic enteritis
Eosinophilic esophagitis
Eosinophilic gastroenteritis
Hypereosinophilic syndrome

Food allergy
Hereditary Angioedema
Hives and Angioedema
Insect sting allergy
Latex allergy
Mastocytosis
Primary immune deficiency, including:

T-cell immune deficiency

Combined immune deficiency
DiGeorge syndrome
Severe combined immune deficiency (SCID)
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome

B-cell immune deficiency

Common variable immunodeficiency
Hyper IgM syndrome
IgA deficiency
Specific antibody deficiency
X-linked agammaglobulinemia

Granulocyte deficiency

Chediak Higashi syndrome
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD)
Hyper IgE syndrome
Leukocyte adhesion defect (LAD)
Urticaria

Children with suspected immunodeficiency are also evaluated.

Immunologic evaluation includes:

Detailed evaluation of cellular immunity

Lymphocyte phenotyping, enumeration, and activation markers
T- cell mitogen and antigen reposes
Cytotoxic T lymphocyte function
Natural killer cell function

Evaluation of antibody function

Antibody levels — IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, IgG subclasses
Specific antibody responses to vaccines or pathogens
Complement levels and function

Evaluation of granulocyte morphology and function

Adhesion, phagocytosis, killing
Respiratory burst

Close collaboration with the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute ensures the provision of comprehensive clinical care to patients and their families. Faculty are active in clinical studies, as well as laboratory investigation of allergic disorders.