Allergy (Hypersensitivity) Department

I. Specialty Overview

The Department of Allergy (Allergic Reactions) at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University became an independent department in December 2021. Professor He Qiaojie, the discipline leader, established the Allergy Unit at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University in 1995 and carried out the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases, including allergen testing and allergen-specific immunotherapy (desensitization therapy); in 2010, Dalian’s first “Specialized Asthma Outpatient Clinic” was established. Subsequently, the “Specialized Allergy Outpatient Clinic” was established, as were the “Asthma Home” and “Allergy Home” of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, providing standardized management for patients with allergic diseases. More than 6 health lectures on asthma and allergic diseases are held every year. In 2010, the first Allergy Branch of the Dalian Medical Association was founded, and the discipline leader became its inaugural chair. The department has hosted provincial- and municipal-level “Training Courses on New Developments in Allergic Diseases” on many occasions and trained a large number of allergy-related medical and nursing professionals. In 2010, the Allergy Specialty of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University was established and became a key specialty under development in Liaoning Province. In 2016, it became a demonstration outpatient unit in China for standardized subcutaneous immunotherapy. From 2016~2018, it was selected as a demonstration site for the project on standardized diagnosis and treatment of chronic airway disease (asthma) and the provincial specialized asthma outpatient clinic program. In 2017, it became a participating institution in the China Asthma Big Data Registry and Online Management Platform. Since 2017, nearly 3,000 electronic medical records for patients with chronic airway diseases (asthma and COPD) have been established. The chronic disease management model has reached a leading level in China, greatly improving treatment adherence and clinical outcomes in patients with asthma and COPD. Since 2021, biologic targeted therapy has been provided for allergic diseases (allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, and cutaneous allergic diseases), with good therapeutic results.

II. Academic Reputation

In 2018 and 2019, the specialty achieved the excellent ranking of fifth in Northeast China for allergy in Fudan University’s China Hospital Specialty Reputation Ranking. At present, the specialty is a key specialty under development in Liaoning Province, with influence ranking among the leading specialties in Northeast China and first in southern Liaoning.

The discipline also has national committee members serving on the Allergy Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, the Allergy Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, and the Professional Committee for Prevention and Control of Allergic Diseases of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association.

III. Departmental Structure and Technical Features

The department has an outpatient service (specialist and general outpatient clinics), an allergen testing room, treatment and observation rooms, a pulmonary function room, a laboratory, a chronic disease management room, and a records room, among others. It is equipped with standardized skin allergen testing reagents, the most advanced fully automated in vitro allergen testing system internationally, top-tier pulmonary function testing equipment, an exhaled nitric oxide analyzer, nebulization treatment equipment, and other devices. The department provides allergen testing (skin tests and serum-specific IgE), allergen-specific immunotherapy (desensitization therapy), nebulization treatment, biologic targeted drug therapy, and other services. Professional personnel provide chronic disease management, including patient education, disease registration and follow-up, and guidance on medication use.

IV. Specialty Features

Allergic disease is the sixth-largest chronic disease affecting humans. It is a systemic disease that can involve multiple organs, and severe cases may lead to anaphylactic shock. Many patients move between multiple departments because of allergies and suffer from recurrent, persistent symptoms that fail to resolve. The Department of Allergy (Allergic Reactions) provides one-stop diagnosis and treatment for all allergic diseases, saving patients time and medical costs, comprehensively addressing symptoms of multisystem allergies, reducing adverse drug reactions, and improving patients’ quality of life.

(1) What are the distinctive features of the Department of Allergy (Allergic Reactions)?

The Department of Allergy (Allergic Reactions) specializes in the treatment of allergic diseases. Through allergen testing and allergen-specific immunotherapy (desensitization therapy), it provides precision prevention and precision treatment of allergic diseases. Combined with other drug therapies and patient management, it provides standardized and individualized diagnosis and treatment, comprehensively alleviates patients’ symptoms, reduces the burden of disease, decreases adverse drug reactions, and improves patients’ quality of life. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is currently the only treatment internationally that can fundamentally interrupt the allergic process. It can reduce allergic symptoms and medication dependence and prevent sensitization to new allergens and the development of allergic diseases. The widespread use of some new biologic targeted drugs in the Chinese market has added new tools for treating allergic diseases. Patients who respond poorly to some conventional treatments may receive selected biologic targeted drugs for allergic diseases, thereby treating allergic involvement of multiple systems at the same time. The effect is even better when combined with desensitization therapy.

(2) What symptoms and diseases require consultation at the Department of Allergy (Allergic Reactions)?

1. Allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma: If you have year-round nasal itching, sneezing, a runny nose, or wheezing, especially when exposed to dust, you may have allergic rhinitis or asthma caused by dust-mite allergy. If the above symptoms occur seasonally, they may be hay fever caused by pollen allergy in spring and autumn. Cough or chest tightness of unknown cause may indicate atypical bronchial asthma (cough-variant asthma or chest-tightness-variant asthma).

2. Food allergy: After eating, you may develop red and swollen lips, a generalized rash, abdominal pain and diarrhea, cough, wheezing, or even laryngeal edema and a fall in blood pressure.

3. Skin allergy: Skin wheals and itching may indicate acute or chronic urticaria. Itchy skin and a rash may indicate allergic dermatitis or eczema. Skin redness and a rash after applying cosmetics may indicate contact dermatitis.

4. Systemic allergic reaction: If, after a meal, you suddenly develop a generalized rash, chest tightness, abdominal pain, dizziness, or even shock while walking or exercising, this may be a severe food-dependent exercise-induced allergic reaction.

V. Scientific Research and Education

In research, the department undertakes multiple projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and provincial- and municipal-level research programs, as well as clinical studies of new drugs. Many research findings have been published in high-quality specialty journals in China and abroad. In teaching, the department provides education for physicians receiving further training, undergraduates, and master’s students, and is responsible for training professional master’s graduate students in allergy. It emphasizes comprehensive training in clinical and research capabilities.