An allergy occurs when a child's immune system reacts to a foreign substance by generating physical reactions. These reactions can appear in almost any of the body's systems, causing symptoms that can include hay fever, asthma, intestinal distress, skin rashes, sleepiness and, in severe allergic reactions, anaphylactic shock.

Many children and their pediatricians manage mild symptoms through medication. For more severe cases, Sutter offers testing to determine a child's exact sensitivities and designs treatment plans that can include avoidance of allergens or allergy immunotherapy shots that help a child's immune system cope with irritants.

Services are available through board-certified physicians in pediatric pulmonology/allergy:

Bradley Chipps, M.D.
Joseph Marino, M.D.
Travis Miller, M.D.

Most health plans require referrals from the child's pediatrician or family practice physician. For more information, please contact 733-1025.

More information about allergies, including respiratory allergies, skin allergies, and allergies to drugs, food, insect venom, animals, and to natural rubber latex are available in our health information section.