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Student Health Service > Medical Services > Allergy Clinic
Student Health Service
Allergy Injections Policy
You are one of many students coming to the Student Health Service to receive your allergenic extract. The Health Service policies concerning the inoculation procedures are:
1. Because you must remain here for 15-20 minutes following your inoculation, please come in between 8AM and 4PM.
2. Be sure to take your extract home with you during vacations if you are to have inoculations during vacation time.
3. No injections will be given on the day you travel for vacations.
4. Do not plan strenuous activity for several hours prior to or following your allergy injection as this activity may precipitate an allergic reaction.
5. It is your responsibility to report to the Student Health Service on the dates your physician wants you to receive your injections. You are also responsible for ordering new extract and relaying changes in your physician's orders to the Student Health Service nursing staff.
6. In case you need emergency treatment, please inform your roommate, housemother, RA, etc. that you receive allergy shots.
Reactions to Allergy Injections
Local: involves swelling and itching at the sight of infection.
Systemic: developing hives, breathing difficulty and shock.
Patients are expected to remain in the clinic for 20 minutes after receiving shots in case they develop a reaction. Usually the injections are started on a weekly basis in small doses and increased over a period of time to a maintenance dose. The time intervals for shots may change over a period of time depending on the season and/or what the patient is allergic to.
About Allergies
The Cause An allergy is an abnormal response of the body's natural immune system. The immune system is a protective mechanism which identifies potentially harmful invaders, such as viruses or bacteria and attacks them by producing antibodies. When this reaction is abnormally caused by other substances (allergens) such as pollen or dust, the symptoms of an allergy may appear.
The Symptoms Sneezing, itchy eyes, and wheezing are the common symptoms of "hay fever," the most prevalent type of allergy. These symptoms are also associated with colds and other disorders, complicating the diagnosis of allergies. More serious symptoms include asthma, eczema, hives, or acute anaphylaxis, a life-threatening violent reaction to an allergen such as insect stings or to certain drugs such as penicillin.
The list of possible causes of allergies is endless. The more common ones are dust, pollen, feathers, cosmetics, drugs, foods, and molds. Some, like pollen, are seasonal in nature while others are not.
Diagnosis and Treatment Skin testing, the injecting of very small amounts of suspected allergen into the skin, is the most reliable way to identify the causes of "hay fever" allergies. There is no indication that other allergens can be effectively tested in this way.
The most common treatments for hay fever include medications which contain antihistamines (drugs that counteract the effects of the allergic process) and immunotherapy (a series of desensitization shots). Treatments for asthma and eczema are less predictable and require more attention. Any program of treatment should be prescribed by a physician. Contact the Student Health Service if you would like to be treated for an allergy or if you have any questions.
(Information compiled by Student Health Service staff and Montana allergists)
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