Developing National and International Guidelines.

Food allergy (FA) is considered an emerging public health problem. The development of evidence-based guidelines aims to help health care professionals in an accurate diagnosis and management of such diseases. It is proven that there are differences in the factors that determine FA in the different regions of the world. It is necessary to encourage standardization processes of guidelines development. Nevertheless, in the future it will be necessary to take into consideration not only a methodologically correct analysis of the evidence but also the socio-economic realities where the guidelines will be applied

Contact dermatitis in children

Contact dermatitis in pediatric population is a common but (previously) under recognized disease. It is usually divided into the allergic and the irritant forms

Introducción en alergia alimentaria

La alergia alimentaria es un trastorno crónico frecuente que afecta a lactantes, niños, adolescentes y adultos. La prevalencia de alergia alimentaria se ha incrementado en las últimas décadas en todo el mundo, sin limitarse a los países occidentales. Puesto que no existe ningún tratamiento, éste se centra en evitar los alergenos, además de la educación de pacientes y cuidadores en el tratamiento de urgencia de las reacciones agudas, por ejemplo: aplicación de epinefrina. Los estudios sugieren que las reacciones accidentales ocurren en alrededor del 45% de los niños con alergia alimentaria cada año, aunque la mayor parte de las reacciones son de gravedad leve o moderada. Los ingresos hospitalarios por anafilaxia alimentaria varían de 4 a 20 por cada 100,000 habitantes; las muertes son raras, con una incidencia estimada de 0.03 a 0.3 por cada millón de personas con alergia alimentaria. La muerte por anafilaxia alimentaria es rara y parece haberse mantenido estable, posiblemente por el aumento en el etiquetado de alérgenos alimentarios, los servicios de diagnóstico, las tasas de prescripción de epinefrina intramuscular y la concienciación acerca de alergias alimentarias. Omalizumab es un fármaco aprobado para varias alteraciones (urticaria crónica o asma difícil) y puede ayudar a reducir los síntomas asociados con la alergia alimentaria. La importancia relativa de las tecnologías alternativas, las estrategias de gestión y las políticas para la alergia alimentaria varía de una región a otra, debido a las diferencias en la epidemiología, educación, bienestar socioeconómico y preferencias culturales de la población

Zero tolerance for asthma deaths in children.

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Health-care cost reduction resulting from primary-care allergy testing in children in Italy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Allergy places a considerable cost burden on society. Specific immunoglobulin E (spIgE) testing may improve the management of allergy patients. There is therefore a reason to quantify the economic consequences of the use of spIgE testing in the diagnosis of allergic conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The expected costs of spIgE testing versus no-testing were calculated using a clinical decision model based on a prospective clinical trial performed in primary care.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The expected costs per patient over 2 years decreased from 802 euros in the "no-test strategy" to 560 euros in the spIgE "test strategy". Cost savings persisted even after assumptions about the prevalence of allergy and the prices of medications were changed. The "test strategy" increased the percentage of patients correctly diagnosed from 54 to 87%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>spIgE testing of children with respiratory and/or skin problems in primary care in Italy reduces overall costs to society. These cost savings mostly result from a reduction in the use of medications, particularly corticosteroids. The study indicates that spIgE testing of all children with respiratory and/or skin symptoms would be a cost-effective strategy.</p

Specific immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis in Italy: The patients' points of view

Specific immunotherapy (SIT) is the unique causal treatment for allergy, but its use is quite limited. A perspective, cross-sectional telephone interview survey was carried out in Italy to evaluate the characteristics of 500 patients with allergic rhinitis (250 of whom treated with SIT). Relevant differences were found concerning therapeutic management of allergic rhinitis, mainly regarding the use of drugs and co-morbidities. The allergist is the most important consultant who prescribes SIT. This study therefore provides evidence that the course of allergic rhinitis may depend on the therapy prescribed by and the level of allergy awareness of the physician