Allergy Center: Division of General Allergy, Division of Dermatological Allergy, Division of Gastrointestinal Allergy
As the national core hospital for allergic diseases, we provide high quality
medical management of allergic disorders and promote clinical research in
allergology. Our track record of successful treatments shows that we can do
much to alleviate if not outright cure severe allergic diseases in children
and vastly improve our patients' quality of life.
Medical services
The Allergy Center was established in June, 2018 and includes the general
allergy department, skin allergy department, and gastrointestinal allergy
department, which work together to diagnose allergic diseases and treat
affected children. Nine allergologists certified by the Japanese Society of
Allergology are on our staff. Patient education is provided by pediatric
allergy educators.
Patient educat ion programs (on atopic dermatitis, food allergy, infant allergy, and asthma) are provided to help families understand and cope with these diseases in their children. Patient education programs (on food allergy and atopic dermatitis) are also available for school pupils. We are active in conducting clinical research to develop novel methods of preventing, treating, and diagnosing allergic diseases in collaboration with the National Research Institute and National Clinical Research Center.
Patient educat ion programs (on atopic dermatitis, food allergy, infant allergy, and asthma) are provided to help families understand and cope with these diseases in their children. Patient education programs (on food allergy and atopic dermatitis) are also available for school pupils. We are active in conducting clinical research to develop novel methods of preventing, treating, and diagnosing allergic diseases in collaboration with the National Research Institute and National Clinical Research Center.
Target diseases and treatment policy
We devise personalized treatment based on clinical guidelines and highly
reliable medical evidence. Our policy is to provide patients and their
caregivers the best outcomes through a comprehensive approach that
incorporates best practice and patient education.
Food allergies
To diagnose food allergy and determine the safety threshold for a patient's
consumption of causal foods, we administer oral food challenge (OFC) tests.
The number of OFCs is increasing yearly (1,236 cases in 2018). The Allergy
Center was the first center in Japan to start oral immunotherapy (2004). We
have since then been conducting oral immunotherapy by administering low doses
of the causal foods to achieve the resolution of food allergy symptoms. The
aim of our clinical research is to develop safer and more effective
immunotherapies.
Atopic dermatitis
The Allergy Center has a fund of experience in the medical management of
children with severe AD who have failed to thrive and/or have an electrolyte
abnormality without AD remission despite having received medical treatment at
other clinics. We provide proactive therapy aimed at preventing exacerbation
by using antiinflammatory medications intermittently even after the symptoms
have resolved to maintain remission without recourse to stronger medications.
Doctors, pediatric allergy educators, and nurses work together to help
children learn about AD and appropriate skincare as well.
Bronchial asthma and associated diseases
The Allergy Center provides standard treatment for bronchial asthma and
educates patients about their condition. Although many children today are able
to control their asthma well, thanks to the progress of treatments, we
occasionally see children with intractable asthma that can not be controlled
with standard management methods. Most of these patients are treated via
respondent conditioning and/or operant conditioning. We evaluate these
patients not only biomedically but also psychosocially and use the behavioral
medicinal approach if needed, including a few months of inpatient care.
Anti-IgE therapy is also used to treat severe cases of asthma.
Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome / eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease
The Allergy Center provides medical care for food protein-induced
enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), which produces symptoms such as vomiting,
bloody stools, diarrhea, and failure to thrive due to causal food intake. We
base our diagnosis on the results of blood and stool tests and
gastrointestinal endoscopy. We administer multiple food elimination therapy
and long-term oral food challenge tests for children with severe FPIES in
order to identify the causal food and provide nutritional guidance.
Allergic rhinitis (AR)
Children can be t reated wi th sublingual immunotherapy in addition to
pharmacotherapy using oral medications and nasal sprays. We treat children
based on current, high-level medical evidence, such as that included in the AR
guidelines. We provide complete support to children and their families to help
them achieve a better QOL through the improvement of AR symptoms.
Advanced/specialized treatments
Oral immunotherapy for food allergy, management of habitual scratching
behavior in severe atopic dermatitis patients based on behavior analysis,
behavioral therapy to treat intractable asthma and associated diseases, and
multiple food removal therapy for FPIES and eosinophilic gastrointestinal
disease are some of the specialized treatments we provide.
Frequently performed tests
The oral food challenge test, skin prick test, patch test, blood test for
allergen-specific IgE antibody, respiratory function test, fractional exhaled
nitric oxide test, methacholine and exercise challenge test for airway
hyperresponsiveness are some performance tests that we frequently administer.