Such diagnostic and treatment possibilities are today applied at the Immunology and Allergology Clinic of Kaunas Clinics, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. During this time, immunology and allergology have changed significantly – from increasingly precise molecular diagnostics to biological therapy and individually tailored treatment for the patient.
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“The establishment of the clinic ten years ago was a natural response to the rapid progress in immunology and allergology science. Today, with a better understanding of disease mechanisms, we can offer patients more precise diagnostics and individually tailored treatment. Our goal is for the latest scientific knowledge to reach the patient as quickly as possible and become real diagnostic and treatment options,” says the General Director of Kaunas Clinics, Prof. habil. Dr. Renaldas Jurkevičius.
Not only what you are allergic to, but why
One of the most significant changes over the decade has occurred in the field of diagnostics. The number of tests performed in the clinic’s Immunology laboratory has more than tripled during this time, but not only their volume has changed – the diagnostic possibilities themselves have greatly expanded.
The head of the Immunology and Allergology Clinic of Kaunas Clinics, Prof. Brigita Gradauskienė, emphasizes that it is now possible to determine the causes of allergic reactions much more precisely.
“Today it is possible to identify not only what a person is allergic to, but also the specific allergen components causing the reaction. This helps to distinguish true allergy from cross-reactions, more accurately assess the risk of severe allergic reactions, and select the most appropriate recommendations and treatment for the patient,” says the professor.
Today it is possible to identify not only what a person is allergic to, but also the specific allergen components causing the reaction.
This is also important in cases where drug allergy is suspected. Advanced diagnostic procedures can help identify the specific drug causing the reaction.
However, even after confirming an allergy, treatment options do not necessarily end. When a certain drug is essential for the patient, desensitization can be performed according to strict protocols – a procedure that creates tolerance to the factor causing the allergic reaction.
“This can provide the patient with the opportunity to continue treatment with the necessary medication or help avoid life-threatening allergic reactions, for example, when sensitized to bee or wasp venom,” explains Prof. B. Gradauskienė.
Diseases that could previously remain undiagnosed
Treatment of severe chronic and rare diseases has also changed over the decade. Biological therapy is today applied for severe asthma, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and other chronic diseases.
With advances in immunological and genetic testing, more opportunities arise to identify primary or congenital immunodeficiencies. Some of these immune system disorders could previously remain undiagnosed for a long time. Once the disease is identified, the patient may be prescribed long-term monitoring, infection prevention, or replacement therapy with immunoglobulins.
The clinic’s head emphasizes that modern allergology and clinical immunology have long ceased to be only about allergy treatment. The immune system participates in many body processes, so specialists in these fields are also needed by doctors from other specialties.
One such example is transplantation. Allergologists and clinical immunologists help assess the recipient’s immune status, the effects of immunosuppressive therapy, infection risk, and possible complications.
“Our strength is not a single separate procedure or test, but the ability to combine clinical experience, laboratory diagnostics, and the competencies of specialists from other fields. A complex patient often needs not just one separate answer, but a whole diagnostic and treatment strategy,” says Prof. B. Gradauskienė.
More than 10,000 consultations per year
As possibilities have grown, patient flows have also increased. Currently, the clinic provides more than 10,000 specialized consultations per year, and more than 2,000 services are provided in the day hospital.
Clinical work here is combined with science – immune response mechanisms are studied, and new diagnostic and treatment possibilities are sought. In 2022, experts from the European Union of Medical Specialists accredited the clinic as a European center for allergology and immunology. It also participates in international networks for allergy, asthma, and rare immune diseases.
From the first medical dissertation to molecular diagnostics
The clinic’s tenth anniversary this year coincides with another milestone – the 100th anniversary of allergology in Lithuania.
The beginning of this field in Lithuania is associated with one of the founders of Kaunas Clinics, Prof. Vladas Lašas. Already in the third decade of the last century, he studied the mechanisms of anaphylaxis in Kaunas, and his work “Anaphylaxis” became the first medical science dissertation defended in Lithuania.
After a century, the same complex immune system processes are still studied in Kaunas, but with completely different means – from molecular diagnostics and cell studies to genetic methods and personalized treatment. And what a decade ago could primarily be a subject of scientific research is today increasingly becoming concrete help for the patient.
