Virginie and her son Léo come from Vouzinois to consult the Reims allergist Jean-François Fontaine. “I’ve seen him since I was 15. He’s great. He’s the allergy detective”praises the mother. “Me and my two sisters are allergic. One of my sisters is into celery, the other into cosmetics and I into a lot of things! Especially pollens. Leo is starting to be embarrassed too so we come to check what his allergies are. »
The consultation begins with a long interview with the doctor. He asks Léo precisely what he feels, at what intensity, when and what his work and living environment is. “My parents are not allergic at all while their descendants all are”continues Virginie.
Léo sits on the examination table, the allergist places small drops on the inside of his arm. “I test for pollen, animals and mites. After about fifteen minutes, we will see which samples cause a skin reaction”he explains to the young man. “Allergies happen when you defend yourself too much against things in the environment. »
Finally, it is the droplet of the mites which causes redness, that of the birch pollen a little too. “As the allergy to birch is weak, we can try desensitization. This involves reaccustoming the body to this substance by placing a biological extract that resembles it under the tongue every day for three years. This technique ultimately makes it possible to do without medications because the immune system understands over time that the substance is not dangerous. » For dust mites, you will need to continue to ventilate the room well and remove dust. “Allergies, you have to learn to live with them, that’s what I do”explains Virginie. “No choice. »
Scientists predict that half of the population will be affected by 2050. How can we explain this explosion of allergies? “Consumption habits and pollution are the two other major causes,” explains the doctor. Jean-François Fontaine.
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