Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology - Childrens Hospital Nuremberg

About the Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology at Childrens Hospital Nuremberg

The Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology at the Children's Hospital Nuremberg provides the full range of medical services in the areas of its competence. The medical facility diagnoses and treats allergic diseases and respiratory diseases. The team of the department's doctors pays due attention to providing medical care to young patients with neurodermatitis, hay fever, food allergies, and bronchial asthma. The specialists also regularly deal with the treatment of bronchitis and pneumonia (lung inflammation). The medical facility admits infants, young children, and adolescents. To detect allergic diseases, the department performs many tests, including skin prick tests, IgE blood tests, and provocation tests. In cases of suspected pulmonary diseases, the patient undergoes X-ray scanning and body plethysmography. In most cases, doctors carry out drug therapy with pills, ointments, and creams. Allergies are successfully treated with allergen-specific immunotherapy. The goal of the department's specialists is to provide children with effective and painless treatment, if possible, in a comfortable atmosphere. In most cases, children are treated on an outpatient basis. The department is headed by Dr. med. Irena Neustädter.

One of the most important focuses of the department's clinical activities is the treatment of bronchial asthma. This chronic disease is caused by impaired patency of the bronchial tree. The main manifestations are recurrent episodes of suffocation, severe coughing, and wheezing. Asthma attacks occur suddenly, lasting from a few minutes to several hours, often ending as suddenly as they begin. Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease, and the department's doctors provide young patients with individually elaborated treatment regimens to achieve stable and long-lasting remission and ensure a high quality of life. To achieve the desired result, a comprehensive approach is required, taking into account the cause and stage of the disease, the severity of symptoms, the frequency of attacks, the child's age, and their general health condition. The detection and maximum exclusion of contacts with the allergen play a crucial role in the treatment. The child also receives drug therapy. In most cases, the drug is administered with an inhaler (liquid or dry powder). Children with bronchial asthma are recommended to follow a hypoallergenic diet. Parents need to take care of daily life in their home. They should get rid of carpets, pillows with feathers, and soft toys; regularly perform wet cleaning in the living space; and not have pets.

The priority specialization of doctors at the medical facility also includes the treatment of hay fever (pollinosis) in children. Pollen from trees, flowers, and grass triggers the allergic condition. The development of such an allergic reaction in a child causes many unpleasant symptoms, including sneezing, nasal discharge, nasal congestion, shortness of breath, itching in the nose and eyes, swelling of the eyelids, and lacrimation. Hay fever is a seasonal disease, so exacerbations occur in the spring and summer. If the allergy becomes chronic, it may also occur in the autumn and winter. The primary diagnostic measure for suspected hay fever is the study of anamnesis. The doctor needs to obtain information about the periods of exacerbation of allergic reactions, the severity of symptoms in the child at this time, and the presence or absence of such a problem in parents or other close relatives. The next step is allergy testing (it is extremely important to perform this stage of the examination during the remission of pollinosis). Acute hay fever is treated with drug therapy that may include nasal sprays with steroids, nasal rinsing with salt water, antihistamines, and hormones. The optimal combination of drugs and the duration of treatment are prescribed on an individual basis. As a rule, additional symptomatic treatment is carried out with eye drops, gels for itchy skin, hormones to facilitate breathing, etc. If drug therapy is unsuccessful, the department’s specialists resort to allergen-specific immunotherapy. The child periodically receives a small amount of allergens so that the body develops antibodies. This type of treatment is carried out several months before the beginning of plant flowering.

The department's team of doctors has vast experience in the treatment of neurodermatitis in young patients. Neurodermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, the main manifestations of which are intense itching and rashes. The disease is characterized by periods of exacerbation and remission. Exacerbations of neurodermatitis occur quite often. Neurodermatitis does not have specific laboratory markers, so the diagnosis is made based on the anamnesis, clinical examination, and by excluding other similar conditions. If neurodermatitis is confirmed in a child, the department's doctors prescribe comprehensive treatment, including the intake of drugs, diet, and skin care with special ointments and creams. Physiotherapeutic treatment also has a positive effect.

The department's key clinical focuses include:

• Pulmonology
  • Diagnostics and treatment of bronchial asthma
  • Diagnostics and treatment of bronchitis
  • Diagnostics and treatment of pneumonia
  • Diagnostics and treatment of functional respiratory disorders
• Allergology
  • Diagnostics and treatment of hay fever
  • Diagnostics and treatment of food allergies
  • Diagnostics and treatment of drug allergies
  • Diagnostics and treatment of insect venom allergies
  • Diagnostics and treatment of neurodermatitis
  • Diagnostics and treatment of contact dermatitis
  • Diagnostics and treatment of urticaria
  • Diagnostics and treatment of anaphylaxis
• Other medical services

Photo of the doctor: (c) Klinik Hallerwiese-Cnopfsche Kinderklinik