Department of Pediatric Allergology - Pediatric Diagnostic Hospital M1 Munich

About the Department of Pediatric Allergology at Pediatric Diagnostic Hospital M1 Munich

The Department of Pediatric Allergology at the Pediatric Diagnostic Hospital M1 Munich provides the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services in its area of specialization at the highest level of European medicine. The department's doctors are successfully engaged in the diagnosis of allergic reactions in children and their treatment. The healthcare facility has an advanced laboratory, which conducts the widest range of allergic tests. The specialists work closely with doctors of related specialties, including pediatric pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, nutritionists, and others. For example, if a food intolerance is suspected, the department's allergists examine a child together with pediatric gastroenterologists, which makes it possible to make an accurate diagnosis, eliminating problems in the functioning of the digestive organs. Young patients are thus provided with comprehensive medical care. The department's therapeutic options include the treatment of allergies with the help of modern pills, topical preparations (ointments, creams, etc.), oral immunotherapy, hyposensitization therapy, subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), and other methods. The department is focused on providing individualized care in a child-friendly environment. The Head Physician of the department is Dr. med. Simon Mayer.

Pediatric allergists at the medical facility diagnose and treat young patients with allergic diseases such as allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, urticaria, allergies to drugs, food, insect sting poison, and other substances. Upon admission to the department, an attending physician carefully listens to the complaints of a young patient, studies their anamnesis, and conducts a clinical examination. Depending on the conclusions made during the initial examination, the child may be prescribed radioallergosorbent tests (RAST tests), epicutaneous tests, skin prick tests, provocation tests, exhaled nitric oxide measurements, and other tests. It is worth noting that the department has its own in-house high-tech laboratory outfitted with Thermo Fisher Scientific's latest generation Phadia 250 automated analyzer, a world-renowned manufacturer of laboratory equipment. German quality standards in the field of laboratory medicine are strictly observed here, so the reliability and credibility of laboratory diagnostics are at the highest level.

An important role in the treatment of many allergies, in particular food intolerances, allergies to pollen, dust, drugs, and insect venom, is the elimination of the child's exposure to a potential allergen. If contact with the allergen nevertheless took place and the child had an acute allergic reaction, the department's doctors would resort to treatment with pills, creams, ointments, sprays, and other pharmacological agents.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (hyposensitization) is successfully carried out in the department. The therapeutic effect is achieved by injecting a small amount of the allergen into the body with a gradual increase in dosage. Due to this, the immune system eventually adapts to the allergen and does not react so sharply to it, which excludes a pronounced allergic reaction with accompanying symptoms. To date, allergen-specific immunotherapy is one of the most advanced and effective methods of dealing with many types of allergies, including seasonal allergies, dust mite allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, urticaria, and other allergic reactions.

In addition, the department's doctors specialize in oral immunotherapy for treating food allergies in young patients. The essence of the therapeutic technique is the consumption by children of foods similar in composition to milk and peanuts. Thus, microscopic particles of the allergen enter the body every day. As a result of gradually increasing the dose of the allergen, the child may eat a daily portion of a dairy product (for example, milk or ice cream) that previously provoked the development of an allergic reaction.

The department's range of medical services includes the following: 

• Diagnostic options
  • Provocation allergy tests, including inhalation ones
  • Epicutaneous tests
  • Skin prick tests
  • Radioallergosorbent tests (RAST tests)
  • Exhaled nitric oxide measurements
  • Paranasal sinus ultrasound scans
  • Nasal endoscopy
  • Sweat test
  • X-ray scanning
  • Testing using the ImmunoCAP ISAC system (the most modern tool for determining the type of the patient's IgE antibodies)
• Therapeutic options
  • Treatment with pills, ointments, creams, and sprays
  • Allergen-specific immunotherapy
  • Sublingual immunotherapy
  • Subcutaneous immunotherapy
• Other diagnostic and treatment methods