Articles

Food Allergy: Present and Future Management

Food allergy poses a significant burden on patients, families, health care providers, and the medical system. The increased prevalence of food allergy has brought about investigation as to its cause and new tr...

Authors: Ananth Thyagarajan and A. Wesley Burks

Barriers to Asthma Treatment in the United States: Results From the Global Asthma Physician and Patient Survey

The Global Asthma Physician and Patient (GAPP) survey evaluated the perceptions of both physicians and patients on the management of asthma. Here we present the results from the United States (US) subpopulatio...

Authors: Michael S. Blaiss, Michael A. Kaliner, Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani, Ronald Dahl, Erkka J. Valovirta and Giorgio W. Canonica

Clinico-Immunological Analysis of Eggplant (Solanum melongena) Allergy Indicates Preponderance of Allergens in the Peel

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is known to cause food allergy in some Asian countries but detailed studies on eggplant allergy are lacking.

Authors: Bheemanapalli N. Harish Babu and Yeldur P. Venkatesh

The Treatment of Vasomotor Rhinitis With Intranasal Corticosteroids

Intranasal steroids (INS) are firmly established as the therapy for choice for allergic rhinitis, but their role in vasomotor rhinitis (VMR) is not fully characterized. This review examines the potential mecha...

Authors: Eli O Meltzer

Pathogenic Mechanisms of Idiopathic Nonallergic Rhinitis

Idiopathic nonallergic rhinitis (iNAR) has been difficult to define because of the long differential diagnosis of rhinopathy in the absence of allergic rhinitis. iNAR has traditionally been a diagnosis of excl...

Authors: James N Baraniuk

Asthma and Allergic Diseases in Pregnancy: A Review

Asthma and allergic disorders can affect the course and outcome of pregnancy. Pregnancy itself may also affect the course of asthma and related diseases. Optimal management of these disorders during pregnancy ...

Authors: Isabella Pali-Schöll, Cassim Motala and Erika Jensen-Jarolim

Asthma in a Primary Health Care Center Serving a Poor Population: A Descriptive and Interventional Study

Asthma is a common chronic disease. Due to difficulties in accessibility to the health care system, asthma affects severely to minorities. This study's objective is to describe the morbidity of asthma on a poo...

Authors: Eloisa Malbrán, Graciela Laura Rey and Alejandro Malbrán

Delayed-Type Heparin Allergy: Diagnostic Procedures and Treatment Alternatives--A Case Series Including 15 Patients

Delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions (DTHRs) after subcutaneous application of unfractionated heparins or low-molecular-weight heparins are not uncommon. Standard allergological testing usually includes int...

Authors: Claudia Pföhler, Cornelia SL Müller, Gerhard Pindur, Hermann Eichler, Hans-Joachim Schäfers, Ulrich Grundmann and Wolfgang Tilgen

One Year With WAO Journal

Authors: Johannes Ring and Lanny Rosenwasser

An Unusual Cause of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

A 47-year-old man presented to our hospital with collapse secondary to a subarachnoid hemorrhage. A careful history taking revealed symptoms of anaphylaxis before his collapse. This case illustrates an unusual...

Authors: Yuen Su and Constance Katelaris

Eight Years of Severe Allergic Reactions in Finland: A Register-Based Report

No data have been available on severe allergic reactions in Finland.

Authors: Soili Mäkinen-Kiljunen and Tari Haahtela

Anti-Immunoglobulin E Therapy

The importance of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in atopic disorders such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, food allergies, and atopic dermatitis is well established. Elevation of total serum IgE is typically found in man...

Authors: Manav Segal, Jeffrey R Stokes and Thomas B Casale

Recent Progress in Unraveling Central Nervous System Processing of Itch Sensation

Itch is the major symptom of many allergic or inflammatory skin diseases, yet it is still difficult to measure objectively. This article shows and updates the development and approaches of central nervous syst...

Authors: Florian Pfab, Michael Valet, Thomas Tölle, Heidrun Behrendt, Johannes Ring and Ulf Darsow

Risk Assessment of Clinical Reactions to Legumes in Peanut-Allergic Children

Peanut-allergic children might be at risk for reactions to other legumes. However, it is not always possible to perform multiple oral food challenges in children. On the basis of patient case history, in vitro...

Authors: Louise Bjerremann Jensen, Milene Andersen, Per Stahl Skov, Lars K Poulsen and Carsten Bindslev-Jensen

Anaphylaxis: Educational Programs Are Needed

Authors: Johannes Ring

Assessment of Patient Attitudes About Mometasone Furoate Nasal Spray: The Ease-of-Use Patient Survey

Intranasal corticosteroids (INS) are recommended as first-line therapy for allergic rhinitis. To date, no studies have evaluated the impact of an INS delivery system on patient satisfaction. Unless patients us...

Authors: Leonard M. Fromer, Gabriel R. Ortiz and April M. Dowdee

H₁ Antihistamines: Current Status and Future Directions

In this review, we compare and contrast the clinical pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of first-generation H₁ antihistamines and second-generation H₁ antihistamines. First-generation H₁ antihistamines cross the ...

Authors: F. Estelle R. Simon and Keith J. Simons

Patient Perceptions of Allergic Rhinitis and Quality of Life: Findings From a Survey Conducted in Europe and the United States

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common, costly, and troublesome condition, impairing patients' quality of life (QoL), cognitive function, and productivity. Patients with AR report disturbed sleep, fatigue, irritab...

Authors: G Walter Canonica, Joaquim Mullol, André Pradalier and Alain Didier

Immediate-Type Respiratory Allergy to Millet-Containing Seed Mixture of Bird Food

A 21-year-old patient experienced asthmatic attacks when cleaning the cage of his budgerigar. Skin tests and radioallergosorbent test were positive to grass pollen and negative for budgerigar feathers and fece...

Authors: Stephanie Rombold, Markus Ollert, Martin Sbornik, Jürgen Rakoski, Ulf Darsow and Johannes Ring

Immunoglobulin E-Mediated Anaphylaxis to Sesame

Authors: Emmanuella Guenova, Sonya Genova, Bogomil Voykov, Silvia Novakova and Vanyo Mitev

Food Allergy--Lessons from Asia

This is a review on published data available on food allergy in East Asia and a discussion on the insights that it offers.

Authors: Bee Wah Lee, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek, Irvin Francis A. Gerez, Shu E Soh and Hugo P. Van Bever

Basophils as Key Regulators of Allergic Inflammation and Th2-type Immunity

Basophils have long been suspected as playing more than a bystander role in initiating and maintaining allergic disorders, despite their relatively low numbers compared with other effector cells, such as mast ...

Authors: Bernhard F. Gibbs

Role of the Transcriptional Repressor BCL6 in Allergic Response and Inflammation

Various molecules participate in different phases of allergic reactions. This means that many genes are encoding molecules related to allergic reactions, such as cytokines, chemokines, and their receptors as e...

Authors: Masafumi Arima, Takeshi Fukuda and Takeshi Tokuhisa

Epinephrine: The Drug of Choice for Anaphylaxis--A Statement of the World Allergy Organization

Anaphylaxis is an acute and potentially lethal multisystem allergic reaction. Most consensus guidelines for the past 30 years have held that epinephrine is the drug of choice and the first drug that should be ...

Authors: Stephen F Kemp, Richard F Lockey and F Estelle R Simons

State of World Allergy Report 2008: Allergy and Chronic Respiratory Diseases

It is widely recognized that the incidence of allergies and allergic diseases is on the rise globally. As an international umbrella organization for regional and national allergy and clinical immunology societ...

Authors: Ruby Pawankar, Carlos E Baena-Cagnani, Jean Bousquet, G Walter Canonica, Alvaro A Cruz, Michael A Kaliner, Bobby Q Lanier and Karen Henley

State of World Allergy Report 2008: Allergy and Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Authors: Karen Henley

Angioedema

Angioedema can be caused by either mast cell degranulation or activation of the kallikrein-kinin cascade. In the former case, angioedema can be caused by allergic reactions caused by immunoglobulin E (IgE)-med...

Authors: Allen P. Kaplan

The World Allergy Organization Today

Authors: G Walter Canonica

Immune Responses to Inhalant Allergens

This overview describes the nature of the immune responses induced by the inhalation of allergens. There is a dichotomy in that B cells have multiple mechanisms that limit the amount of immunoglobulin E (IgE) ...

Authors: Wayne R. Thomas and Belinda J. Hales

The p-i Concept: Pharmacological Interaction of Drugs With Immune Receptors

The immune response in drug hypersensitivity is normally explained by the hapten hypothesis. It postulates that drugs with a molecular weight of less than 1000 D are too small to cause an immune response per s...

Authors: Werner J. Pichler

State of World Allergy Report 2008: Allergy and Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Authors: Ruby Pawankar, Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani, Jean Bousquet, G. Walter Canonica, Alvaro A. Cruz, Michael A. Kaliner and Bobby Q. Lanier

Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy in Food Allergy: There Is Hope

Authors: Johannes Ring

Circadian Changes in the Sputum of Asthmatic Subjects and Healthy Controls

Asthma is exhibiting classical circadian fluctuations of clinical symptoms and airflow measurements, presumably influenced by the underlying airway inflammation and the endogenous cortisol secretion. The aim o...

Authors: Todor A. Popov, Mohamed S. Shenkada, Anna V. Tzoncheva, Maria P. Pravtchanska, Tihomir B. Mustakov and Vasil D. Dimitrov

Iodide Mumps

Authors: Josef Panasoff and David Nusem

Effect of Pollen-Specific Sublingual Immunotherapy on Oral Allergy Syndrome: An Observational Study

Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) triggered by fruit and vegetables often occurs in patients with pollen-induced rhinoconjunctivitis because of cross-reactive epitopes in pollen and associated foods. This open obser...

Authors: Karl-Christian Bergmann, Hendrik Wolf and Jörg Schnitker

Clinical Efficacy and Laboratory Improvement of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccination on Adult Atopic Asthma A Cohort Study

Recent studies have shown that Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination is inversely related to asthma, a Th2 cell-associated with allergic disease, which BCG in humans induces Th1-cell immune responses and ...

Authors: Eulis A Datau, H Mewengkang, JC Matheos, I Purnawan, M Wibisono, K Wongdjaja, C Wibowo, E Surachmanto and FP Salim

Is Sublingual Immunotherapy the Final Answer? Implications for the Allergist

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is now accepted as a viable alternative to the traditional injection route based on more than 40 clinical trials and several meta-analyses of efficacy. In addition, the safety p...

Authors: Giorgio Walter Canonica and Giovanni Passalacqua

Halting the Allergic March

The prevalence of childhood allergic diseases, such as allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis, has increased exponentially. In Singapore, the prevalence of asthma at all ages exceeds 20%, an...

Authors: Hugo P Van Bever, Sudesh T Samuel and Bee Wah Lee

Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy in Food Anaphylaxis

Specific immunotherapy (SIT) protocols for nutritional allergens have only recently been established with a focus on oral allergy syndrome because of pollen cross-reacting antibodies. For these patients, a sub...

Authors: Regina Kerzl, Martin Mempel and Johannes Ring

Immunoglobulin E-Mediated Allergy Plays a Role in Atopic Eczema as Shown in the Atopy Patch Test

Although the pathophysiology of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and bronchial asthma is rather well established, the role of allergy in atopic eczema (AE) is still controversial. B...

Authors: Ulf Darsow and Johannes Ring

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: From Biology to Therapy A Perspective

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in infants younger than 18 months and in the elderly. To date, there are few effective treatment options a...

Authors: Shyam S Mohapatra and Richard F Lockey

Clinical Management of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity diseases caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents are relatively common in the population. This article summarizes the present understanding on the various allergic and nonallergic clin...

Authors: Mario Sánchez-Borges

Churg-Strauss Syndrome in the Pediatric Age Group

The rate of reporting of childhood Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) has increased lately because of either increased awareness to the disease or a real increase in incidence. It is defined as one of the antineutro...

Authors: Yehia El-Gamal

Book Review: Drug Hypersensitivity by W. J. Pichler (Bern)

Authors: Johannes Ring

Role of Regulatory and Proinflammatory T-Cell Populations in Allergic Diseases

Regulatory T (T_reg) cells are considered to inhibit the development of both type 1 (T_h1) and type 2 helper T (T_h2) cells. However, it is recently reported that there are reduced numbers of T_reg cells in patients ...

Authors: Kanami Orihara, Susumu Nakae, Ruby Pawankar and Hirohisa Saito

Welcome to the World Allergy Organization Journal!

Authors: Michael A Kaliner

Update on the Pathogenic Mechanisms of Isocyanate-induced Asthma

The pathogenic mechanisms of toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced asthma are not understood clearly.

Authors: Gyu-Young Hur, Sung-Jin Choi, Seung-Youp Shin, Sang-Ha Kim and Hae-Sim Park

What is an Allergist? Reconciled Document Incorporating Member Society Comments, September 3, 2007

Authors: Sergio Del Giacco, Lanny J Rosenwasser, Carlos D Crisci, Anthony J Frew, Michael A Kaliner, Bee Wah Lee, Liu Guanghui, Jorge Maspero, Hee-Bom Moon, Nokagawa Takemasa, Paul C Potter, Anand B Singh, Erkka Valovirta, Daniel Vervloet and John O Warner

Allergy Is a Global Problem

Authors: Johannes Ring

Allergy Takes its Toll: The Role of Toll-like Receptors in Allergy Pathogenesis

Reduced early microbial exposure in early life has become a leading candidate to explain the escalating rate of allergic disease and has generated intense interest in the interaction between the developing imm...

Authors: Susan L Prescott