MY PAPER WEDNESDAY JULY 8, 2009
MY SAY
Docs’ diagnoses needed before patients take allergy tests
I WRITE in response to the letter, “Docs, don’t be too hasty in blaming pets for allergies” (mypaper, July 7).
It cited a case where a doctor had attributed a baby girl’s allergy to the presence of a pet dog.
Doctors arrive at their diagnoses through a rigorous process of history taking, physical examinations and investigations.
The argument that doctors should practise caution because patients may end up neglecting their pets is flawed.
Even if doctors refer patients for skin-prick tests, it is still important for them to arrive at provisional diagnoses so that potential allergens can be avoided.
Thus, in the case mentioned in the letter, even if the baby had been referred for an allergy test, the doctor should still advise the family to keep the child away from common allergens in our community before the test.
These include dust mites, animal fur and pollen. If the family had decided to neglect their pet because of this, I fail to see why the doctor should be blamed for being too hasty in his or her diagnosis.
The family should be held under scrutiny, not the doctor.
Therefore, I urge families to rear pets only if they are able to commit the requisite time and resources to the animal, and also if the pets will not create a health issue in the home.
If this is not the case, the pet should be given away.
Dr Jerome Tan
