Immunology

Who we are

PCH’s Immunology Department provides a service for children with allergies (including food, drug, insect sting and latex), immune deficiencies, and some auto-immune diseases.

Conditions we manage

• immune disorders
• autoimmune diseases
• mastocytosis
• hereditary angioedema
• immunosuppressive therapy
• allergic disorders, including
• food allergy
• anaphylaxis
• severe atopic dermatitis
• severe allergic rhinitis
• drug allergies.

Services we provide

• diagnostic testing including skin prick tests, intradermal skin prick tests, and challenge tests.
• immunotherapy for insect venom such as bee and wasp, aeroallergens such as house dust mites and pollens.
• evaluation and treatment of allergic conditions including asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis, food, insect, drug, latex allergies and immune disorders. 
• some same-day admissions for procedures and consultations for children admitted under other specialty teams at PCH.
• outreach clinics at Joondalup Health Campus (external site) and the Mt Lawley REACH clinic (external site). 

ADAPT Oral Immunotherapy Program

Perth Children’s Hospital is one of 10 paediatric hospitals nationally that has partnered with the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE) to be part of a program introducing peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) into mainstream care in a global first.

The ADAPT OIT Program aims to change the way the most common food allergy among Australian school-aged children is treated from strictly avoiding peanut in diets to safely building a tolerance to the allergen and hopefully achieving remission.

The free program is available to:

• Children under 12 months who have been diagnosed with peanut allergy, and
• Who are receiving care by an allergist at PCH, or one of the participating hospitals.

How can families get involved?

If you suspect your baby has a peanut allergy, the first step is to visit your GP.

The doctor may refer your baby to an allergist at one of the hospitals participating in the ADAPT OIT Program.

If their allergy is confirmed, and if they are eligible, the allergist will discuss the program will you.

For more information, visit nace.org.au.

NACE is hosted at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Further treatment options and research projects

Treatments for other food allergies are not currently available as part of routine care.

To keep informed about future treatment options and research project, click to enrol in our Consumer Engagement register.

Referrals

All Specialist Rooms, GP’s and WACHS referrers are being advised to direct all non-urgent referrals for PCH outpatient services to the Central Referral Service.  

Online

https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Central-Referral-Service-guide-for-referrers 

• New referrals will be assessed against the eligibility guidelines and prioritised according to medical need.
• Referrals from Nurse Practitioners, other non-medical referrers and private hospitals (including those with a private-public partnership) are to be directed to PCH Referral Office.
• All urgent referrals are to be sent to the PCH Referral Office.
• Urgent referrals must always be discussed with the PCH Consultant / Registrar on call before the referral is sent.
• The referral needs to include the name of the Consultant/ Registrar the referrer spoke to.
• Each referral is to be faxed individually.

PCH switchboard