-- New information suggests that if patients' primary care
physicians used blood tests more often to screen for allergies, they could
eliminate the need for an additional doctor's visit. The national savings might
equal the cost of that visit, which is about $100 and roughly twice the cost of
a visit to a family doctor.
A new study suggests family physicians could better serve their patients with
symptoms related to hayfever by using a definitive blood test to screen for
actual allergies. According to the study's lead author, Sheryl Szeinbach, Ph.D.,
of Ohio State University, most family physicians are likely to prescribe
medications or suggest that their patients use over-the-counter drugs to help
control suspected allergy symptoms.
She says, "Family physicians need to use a blood test that specifically tests
for the allergens that trigger allergic rhinitis," adding that some doctors
already use blood testing. "It needs to become a standard procedure for family
doctors, as many people have these kinds of allergy symptoms."
In a separate study, researchers from Wilford Medical Center in San Antonio
found exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) may be a simple and cost-effective way to
screen for asthma in a military setting. Of 172 basic trainees who had asthma
symptoms, a eNO value of 10.5 parts per billion provided a diagnosis of asthma
in 86 percent of cases. Using this tool could save more than $6.5 million a year
in medical treatment.
SOURCE: 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, &
Immunology in San Antonio, March 18-22, 2005
