Management of allergy-like symptoms in otolaryngology.

Allergic disorders have been found to be among the most common and costly health problems afflicting our nation. Many of the symptoms presenting daily in an ENT office practice can be triggered by an atopic or IgE mediated mechanism, or by a non-atopic or non-immune mechanism. The ability to differentiate between these two mechanisms has been enhanced by an in vitro serologic test for total IgE known as Prist test. A 10-month study demonstrated the value of this test in determining a treatment plan that was both acceptable to the patient and resulted in a high success rate. The need for including allergic disorders in the future training of the otolaryngologist is presented.