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Dr Jessica Tattersall is an allergist and medical rhinologist based in Sydney. She graduated from the University of Sydney with honours in 2003. After starting out training in Otolaryngology she went on to pursue a career in allergy. Jessica is a fellow of the RACGP and holds a graduate certificate in allergic diseases from the University of Western Sydney. During her training she worked as a clinical research fellow at the John Radcliff Hospital in the Department of Otolaryngology in Oxford. She has a special interest in allergic, non- allergic and inflammatory diseases of the airway and sinuses and is actively involved in research and education in this area. Jessica is a member of the Australasian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Australian and New Zealand Rhinological Society, and the American Rhinological Society.
Setting up an Allergy Clinic
New Zealand has amongst the highest rates of airway allergy in the world. Allergic rhinitis (AR) affects approximately 20% of New Zealanders and Australians. AR has a significant impact on quality of life and socioeconomic costs. AR patients have a 3 fold increased risk of developing asthma. Eighty percent of asthmatics have AR.
Nasal symptoms such as rhinorrhoea or congestion are common presenting complaints, and ENT surgeons are often the first specialists to diagnose allergic airways disease. ENT surgeons and allergists need to work together to improve patient symptoms and quality of life.
Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is just as effective as subcutaneous injections, and is safer. ARIA guidelines recommend allergen immunotherapy for all except the most-mild of AR sufferers.
Antigen specific immunotherapy is currently the only therapy that is known to be disease modifying but its efficacy is limited by adherence. Therefore there has never been a more relevant time for allergist and ENT to collaborate.
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