title: An overview of adult allergic disorders.
abstract: Stuffy nose, itchy and watery eyes, shortness of breath with wheezing, hives and stomach upsets often translate into allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, urticaria and food allergies. These symptoms present a diagnostic dilemma to practitioners, even when sophisticated immunologic tests are available. Given a good history, however, the most common allergic disorders can be diagnosed and managed by nurse practitioners. In this article, an overview is presented which includes a discussion of four chronic adult allergic problems: rhinitis, asthma, urticaria and food allergies. A review of basic immunological principles is provided. Each condition is described in terms of data collection and assessment criteria. General client education guidelines follow.
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000451:nursing; D008487:Medical History Taking; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing; D014581:Urticaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing