Allergy and Immunology

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Welcome to the Allergy and Immunology Department at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center.

The Allergy and Immunology Department at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center is the only Pediatric Referral Program for Immune Deficiencies in Missouri. Here, we provide comprehensive testing to determine whether or not your child has asthma, increased sensitivity to certain allergens, or a decreased ability to fight off infectious diseases.

Contact Us

To make an appointment, please call (314) 268-4010.

We also serve Allergy patients at other Cardinal Glennon locations in St. Louis, including St. Anthony's Medical Center in South County and St. Joseph Hospital West at Lake St. Louis. Learn about our Close to Home locations.

Common Diagnoses	Tests We Provide
Signs and Symptoms	Specialty Care Clinics
Preparing for Your Visit	Additional Resources
What to Expect from Your Visit	Meet the Team

Common Diagnoses

Adverse reaction to vaccines

Allergic rhinitis – swelling of the nasal lining resulting in
"stuffy" or "runny" nose

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis – fungal infection
resulting in inflammation of the lungs and airways

Allergic conjunctivitis

Anaphylaxis – allergic response involving hives, swelling, and
lowered blood pressure

Asthma

Atopic dermatitis (eczema)

Drug allergy

Eosinophilic esophagitis/gastroenteritis – inflammation of the
esophagus or other parts of the digestive system

Food allergy

HIV infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease (AIDS)

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis – heightened reaction to inhaled
substances such as dust and chemicals

Immunodeficiency diseases –decreased ability to resist
diseases

Insect allergy

Latex allergy

Non-allergic rhinitis

Sinusitis, fungal sinusitis – swelling of the tissue that lines the
sinuses

Urticaria (hives)

Asthma may occur with physical exertion. In some cases, a child may be woken from sleep when experiencing symptoms. Signs of asthma include:

Shortness of breath

Coughing

Wheezing

Preparing For Your Visit

Prior to the appointment, your child should stop taking all antihistamines, such as Claritin, Benadryl, Allegra, or Zyrtec for at least one week.

Your child’s initial visit to the Allergy Department at Cardinal Glennon will consist of a comprehensive analysis of his or her condition. To ensure we are providing the best care for your child, the appointment may take a few hours. For this reason, you may wish to bring something to entertain your child during that time. You may also want to arrange for other children to stay home to make certain that your focus can be on the child experiencing symptoms.

Parents are asked to bring previous medical records with them to the initial visit. This saves time and can be very helpful in diagnosing a problem. These records include:

Immunization history

Allergy testing results

Lab results

Medication records

What to Expect from Your Visit

When you arrive, you will be asked to register your child by verifying insurance information. When that is complete, a Pediatric Clinical Partner will measure your child’s vital signs, height and weight. After that, a nurse will go over the results and ask you and your child several questions about his or her symptoms and past/current medications. A physician will then consult with you and your child and make recommendations for testing, which is typically done the same day as the appointment.

Tests We Provide

Allergy Skin Test – a non-painful (no needles) method of allergy testing. Results are available within 20 minutes.

Pulmonary Function Test – breathing into a tube to assess lung function. Results are available the same day.

Patch Allergy Skin Test – specialized testing for food allergies.
Results generally take about four days.

Immune System Evaluation – series of blood tests.
Results usually take a few weeks to come back.

Radiologic Testing – exam of the sinuses and lungs.
Results are usually available within a day, but may take up to a week.

Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiences

The Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies sees patients with primary immune deficiency disorders. The goal of the center, created through the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, is to diagnose and treat patients with defects in the immune system that are carried through the genes. More than 150 immunodeficiencies have been identified to date, affecting more than 1 million Americans.

For a referral to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center at SSM Cardinal Glennon, call 577-4014.

Signs and Symptoms

These 10 warning signs of an immunodeficiency are provided by the Primary Immunodeficiency Resource Center:

Eight or more new ear infections within a year	Recurrent deep skin or organ abscesses
Two or more serious sinus infections within a year	Persistent thrush in mouth or elsewhere on skin after age 1
Two or more months on antibiotics with little effect	Need for intravenous antiobiotics to clear infections
Two or more cases of pneumonia within a year	Two or more deep-seated infections
Failure to gain weight or grow normally	A family history of Primary Immunodeficiency