Allergy/Immunology

In partnership with the University of South Florida College of Medicine, the All Children's Hospital Allergy/Immunology program treats children suffering from a wide spectrum of allergic or immunological disorders. Our pediatric allergists treat children with allergic diseases, including rhinitis, asthma, sinus problems, hives, eczema, and allergies to medications, foods, insects or latex. Our pediatric immunologists take care of children with primary immunodeficiency syndromes, immunoglobulin subclass deficiencies, hyper IgE syndrome, complement deficiencies, pediatric HIV, and a wide range of other immunologic problems. In addition to a full range of diagnostic services, the pediatric immunology program provides infusion therapy services. Marrow, stem cell and cord blood transplantation is also available at All Children’s to treat life-threatening immune disorders.

Allergy and asthma are among the most common heath problems, with more than 50 million people afflicted with asthma, seasonal hay fever, or other allergy-related conditions each year. Allergies can affect anyone, but generally, allergies are more common in children. Food allergies are seen in 8 percent of children under age six. There is a tendency for allergies to occur in families, although the exact genetic factors that cause it are not yet understood. According to the latest available statistics from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, allergic problems in the US are the sixth leading common cause of chronic disease.

About 20.3 million people in the US have been diagnosed with asthma, with at least 6.3 million of them children under the age of 18. Asthma is the third ranking cause of childhood hospitalizations under the age of 15.