Episode 047
What I Wish I Knew About
Allergies When I Started Practicing Medicine
Episode summary
In this episode, we sit down with ImmunoCAST host Gary Falcetano, PA, to discuss the insights he wishes he had when he first began treating and managing allergy patients, along with the knowledge he has gathered from speaking with thousands of clinicians across the country. Gary addresses common misconceptions surrounding skin prick testing and in vitro blood testing, highlights region-specific allergen patterns, explores the nuances of risk stratification in asthma and respiratory allergies, and much more.
Additional topics include pre-test and post-test probability, diagnostic test selection, patient communication, shared decision-making, adherence challenges, actionable exposure reduction, and effective use of clinical resources. Healthcare providers will come away with clear, evidence-based guidance to strengthen allergy diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.
Episode resources
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- Busse PJ, Cohn RD, Salo PM, Zeldin DC. Characteristics of allergic sensitization among asthmatic adults older than 55 years: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2006. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2013 Apr;110(4):247-52.
- Høst A, Halken S. The role of allergy in childhood asthma. Allergy. 2000 Jul;55(7):600-8.
- Calderón MA et al.. Multiple-allergen and single-allergen immunotherapy strategies in polysensitized patients: looking at the published evidence. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Apr;129(4):929-34.
- National Institutes of Health. “Introducing Peanut in Infancy Prevents Peanut Allergy into Adolescence.” National Institutes of Health, 28 May 2024, www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/introducing-peanut-infancy-prevents-peanut-allergy-into-adolescence. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
- Allergy & Asthma Network. "Allergy Statistics in the US." Allergy & Asthma Network, 2024, https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/allergies/allergy-statistics/.
