Department of Allergology - Hospital Kloster Grafschaft Schmallenberg

About the Department of Allergology at Hospital Kloster Grafschaft Schmallenberg

The Department of Allergology at the Hospital Kloster Grafschaft Schmallenberg provides the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services in the area of ​​its specialization. A highly qualified team of the department's doctors, which is rightfully proud of its rich clinical experience and excellent treatment success rates, provides effective treatment of allergic diseases. The Chief Physician of the department is Dr. med. Friedrich Riffelmann.

The patients can receive medical care both on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The complex of diagnostic tests and follow-up therapeutic procedures are selected for each patient individually. In most cases, the patients visit the department with the onset of symptoms, so symptomatic therapy is often the first-line treatment. Many patients then undergo allergen-specific immunotherapy (hyposensitization). With an annual number of more than 3,500 patients with allergic diseases of varying severity, the department enjoys a reputation as one of the largest highly specialized medical facilities of this kind at the national level.

Food intolerance is the most common clinical case (up to 60% of inpatients) in the practice of the department's doctors. Typical clinical symptoms of pathology are abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea, constipation, nausea. In some cases, food intolerance can cause the development of neurodermatitis, chronic itching, urticaria and Quincke's edema. Even the development of bronchial asthma may be associated with the presence of food intolerance in the patient. The first stage of the therapeutic process when a patient is admitted to the department is allergological diagnostics. The attending physician studies the patient's medical history and current complaints. This is followed by blood tests and provocation skin tests. After diagnostic tests, it is quite often indicated for the patient to follow a diet (at home), which excludes the consuming of allergens. An alternative to the diet is a comprehensive food intolerance test with the determination of IgG antibodies to the most common foods. The main treatment method for food intolerance is diet therapy, in which allergens that provoke the development of the pathological process are excluded from the patient's diet.

Another common pathology is dust mite allergy. The symptoms of the pathology depend on the main localization of the allergic process and the number of allergens that entered the body. The patients with dust in the nasal mucosa develop allergic rhinitis, while those with dust mites in the ocular mucous membrane have allergic conjunctivitis. Contact of dust mites with the skin can cause the development of eczema. To confirm the diagnosis and select the optimal treatment tactics, the specialists conduct such tests as the complete blood count, IgE blood test, allergy blood test, provocation tests and allergic skin tests. The first-line treatment is allergen-specific immunotherapy (desensitization) and antiallergic drugs. Obviously, an integral part of therapy is the reduced contacts with allergens – regular wet cleaning, washing of pillows and blankets, care for upholstered furniture and carpets with anti-mite agents.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Diagnostics and treatment of common allergic diseases
  • Drug allergy
  • Insect venom allergy
  • Anaphylactic shock
• Diagnostics and treatment of allergic respiratory diseases
  • Bronchial asthma
  • Chronic allergic rhinitis
  • Sinusitis
  • Hay fever
• Diagnostics and treatment of allergic skin diseases
  • Eczema
  • Allergic contact dermatitis
  • Urticaria
  • Quincke's oedema
  • Contact allergy
• Diagnostics and treatment of allergic reactions caused by gastrointestinal diseases
  • Chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
• Diagnostics and treatment of other diseases