The history of pediatric allergology (PA) in Europe is relatively youthful, dating back to 1984, when a small group of pediatricians founded the European Working Group on Pediatric Allergy and Immunology—later giving rise to ESPACI (European Society on Pediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology). In 1990, the first dedicated journal, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (PAI), was founded. There are striking differences across Europe, and even within European countries, in relation to the training pathways for doctors seeing children with allergic disease(s). In 2016, the EAACIClemens von Pirquet Foundation (CvP) organized and sponsored a workshop with the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Pediatric Section. This collaboration focussed on the future of PA and specifically on education, research, and networking/ advocacy. The delegates representing many countries across Europe have endorsed the concept that optimal care of children with allergic diseases is delivered by pediatricians who have received dedicated training in allergy, or allergists who have received dedicated training in pediatrics. In order to meet the needs of children and families with allergic disease(s), the pediatric allergist is highly encouraged to develop several networks. Our challenge is to reinforce a clear strategic approach to scientific excellence to across our member base and to ensure and enhance the relevance of European pediatric research in allergy. With research opportunities in basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiologic trials, more trainees and trained specialists are needed and it is an exciting time to be a pediatric allergologist.
Objective: We have assessed the factors that might improve the free food allergen at the restaurants. In addition, we have compared food handlers knowledge with the general public knowledge about food allergens. Design: Cross-sectional, via questionnaires. Participants: A total of 182 participants (80 food handlers and 102 of general public). Main Outcome Measures: Dependent variables: Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and practices. Analysis: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t-test. Questionnaires were hand coded and data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0. Results: The survey showed that food handlers and general public had some knowledge on the issue, a major proportion of both group do not believe the meals produced in restaurants are safe in terms of food allergies. Conclusions and Implications: Allergic people must stay on the alert, questioning the place where they are going to have their meals in terms of the ingredients used, verifying whether the food is really free of allergens. This study can be used by restaurants to develop food allergy policies.
Background: Food allergen immunotherapy (FA-AIT) practice is known to vary globally. This project aims to identify and characterize European centres performing FA-AIT.Methods: An EAACI task force conducted an online survey to gather relevant information regarding FA-AIT practice and setting-specific resources after reviewing the published literature and congress abstracts throughout Europe. | 921RodRíguez del Río et al. | INTRODUC TI ONFood allergy affects millions of patients worldwide 1 and significantly impacts quality of life secondary to severe allergic reactions, economic burden and dietary restrictions. [2][3][4][5][6] Until recently, the standard of care was limited to trigger avoidance and the use of educational tools and rescue medication to minimize the risk associated with accidental exposure. Food allergen immunotherapy (FA-AIT) is an encouraging alternative; however, after decades of research, 7 existing limitations regarding safety, long-term efficacy, and cost-effectiveness fuel debates as to whether it is ready for use in Results:We identified 102 FA-AIT centres in 18 countries; only Spain (n = 39) and France (n = 16) had ≥10 such centres. Overall, most facilities were hospital-based (77.5%), publicly funded (80.4%) and delivered FA-AIT as routine clinical care (80.4%).On average, departments had 3 allergists/paediatric allergists and 2 nurses. Surveyed centres had provided FA-AIT for a median of 9 years [1-24] to a median of 105 patients. The estimated total number of treated patients was 24875, of whom 41.3% received AIT for milk, 34.2% egg, 12.8% peanut and 11.7% other foods.Anaphylaxis to AIT doses requiring over 4-6 h of observation was reported by 70.6% of centres, ICU admissions by 10.8% and eosinophilic esophagitis by 45.1%. Quality of life and sustained unresponsiveness were evaluated in 20.6% and 54.9% of centres, respectively. The main contraindications for food AIT were severe asthma (57%-63%), eosinophilic esophagitis (56%-48%) and age below 5 years (47%-41%). Conclusions:In Europe, FA-AIT is provided mostly in clinical practice. Significant variation is seen in the number of centres per country, facility characteristics and inclusion/exclusion criteria, and in certain aspects of protocols. Potential inequality in access to AIT has been identified as well as the need for education and guidance for treatment standardization.
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