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October 16, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Halloween is just around the corner and most individuals do not think of allergies when thinking of Halloween. They more aptly think of costumes, trick-or-treating, candy, bobbing for apples, skeletons and skulls, and Halloween parties. It is a festive time of the year and both adults and children enjoy the holiday. Even though adults enjoy […]
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
The most common type of food allergy is an “immediate hypersensitivity” reaction (i.e., Type I reaction), where the symptoms usually begin within a few minutes of exposure to the offending food. These reactions are mediated by an antibody called IgE which interacts with the protein (i.e., antigen, allergen) in the food. This interaction causes a […]
Read MoreSeptember 19, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Recurrent infections occur in many individuals in the U.S., as well as around the world. In the U.S., malnutrition is not a common cause as it is in many undeveloped third-world countries. Parasitic infections are also not very common in the U.S. unless an individual travels to a developing country, consumes uncooked meat/fish, drinks tainted […]
Read MoreAugust 22, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Definition: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory condition caused by the abnormal accumulation of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) in the lining of the tube carrying food from the throat to the stomach (i.e., esophagus). Cause: EoE is a relatively newly discovered condition and is being diagnosed with increasing frequency in the […]
Read MoreAugust 15, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
It is August in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and to many allergy sufferers, that means ragweed pollen is in the air. Ragweed is a flowering plant that releases its pollen into the air in the Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland metro area usually beginning in mid-August and lasting until the end of October when the […]
Read MoreJuly 15, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Sunscreen is something that you need to wear to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, but not all sunscreen is created equal. Some people might have no problem wearing it, but it’s also possible for your skin to have a bad reaction to the common ingredients in most sunscreen formulas. You might […]
Read MoreJuly 11, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Allergens (i.e., antigens) that are commonly found in the Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland metropolitan area in the Summer may include: pollens, molds, dust mites, pets, cockroaches, stinging insects (e.g., bees, wasps, yellow jackets, white-faced hornets, yellow-faced hornets), and non-stinging insects (e.g., mosquitoes, gnats). Non-allergens (i.e., irritants) that cause allergy-like symptoms and/or asthma, that are found in the Summer […]
Read MoreJuly 06, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
The onset of summer brings with it the menace of mosquitoes. Though we are more concerned about diseases transmitted by mosquitoes such as malaria, encephalitis, dengue fever, chikungunya, West Nile virus, yellow fever, filariasis (elephantiasis), Western equine encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis, Ross River fever, […]
Read MoreJune 20, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
A very interesting article was published in the current issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the section “Paradigms and Perspectives.” In Melbourne, Australia, on Monday, November 21, 2016, hospitals were swamped with emergency patients affected by severe asthma exacerbations. There were more than 8,500 patients from Monday night to Tuesday and 9 of […]
Read MoreJune 08, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Individuals who are allergic to their pets generally have the same symptoms as people who have allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis to other allergens such as dust mites, molds, pollens, and, cockroaches. These symptoms may include some or all of the following: sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy nose, post-nasal drip, itchy ears, clogged ears, itchy throat, itchy eyes, […]
Read MoreMay 24, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
In the Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland metropolitan area, grass pollinates mostly from the end of April through the end of August. The peak grass pollen levels tend to be from May through July, however. Grass is a very common allergen as it affects millions of individuals. There are thousands of types (i.e., species) of […]
Read MoreMay 24, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Atopic dermatitis is a common genetically determined chronic inflammatory disorder of the skin. Eczema is a term used to describe the appearance of the skin in atopic dermatitis, as well as in other skin diseases. Though atopic dermatitis generally tends to be more severe in childhood and improve in adulthood, most people with this condition continue to have […]
Read MoreApril 25, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Most insect bites cause “local reactions” resulting in redness and/or swelling at the site of the bite which usually subsides in a few days. However, stings by 5 different types of insects (honey bee, yellow jacket, yellow-faced hornet, white-faced hornet, and wasp) belonging to the Hymenoptera species, can cause a life-threatening “systemic reaction” (i.e., anaphylaxis) in […]
Read MoreApril 06, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
How does one distinguish whether they have a common cold or if they are bothered by allergies? This question plagues many individuals all the time. It may not be easy to differentiate the two maladies since the two conditions have a lot of crossover signs and symptoms. An allergist in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC which can […]
Read MoreMarch 22, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
More and more children and adults are being diagnosed with peanut allergy in the U.S. in the past few decades. Peanut allergy was estimated to affect about 0.4% of children and 0.7% of adults in 1999. By 2010, the prevalence increased to about 2% of all children. Peanut allergy is the leading cause of death related to […]
Read MoreMarch 17, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
What are dust mites ? Dust mites are microscopic bugs that are about 0.25 mm. in length. They are arachnids like spiders and scorpions and like the former, generally have 8 legs. They tend to live in pillows, mattresses, bedding, carpeting, plush toys, upholstered furniture, etc. and are responsible for allergy and asthmasymptoms in many individuals. When someone […]
Read MoreMarch 07, 2017 | Black & Kletz Allergy
People in the Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland metropolitan area as well as in the Northeast are experiencing record warm temperatures this Winter. This warm weather seems to have confused the trees into releasing their pollen much earlier this year than in previous normal years. In February of this year, tree pollen counts hit “high” […]
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