The history of pediatric allergy in Europe – From a working group to ESPACI and SP‐EAACI

A Working Group on Pediatric Allergology was formed in 1984, which rapidly developed to become the European Society on Pediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology (ESPACI) in 1988 with its own journal, Pediatric Allergology and Immunology. ESPACI worked together with the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) to form a Section of Pediatrics within EAACI (SP‐EAACI) in 1996. The ESPACI and the SP‐EAACI formally merged in 2001. Within the EAACI organization, the Pediatric Section has continued to grow. The Pediatric Section is working to develop pediatric allergology across Europe, focusing on postgraduate education, facilitating the research agenda and advocating for children and adolescents with allergies.     

The 10th anniversary of the Junior Members and Affiliates of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

This year is the 10th anniversary of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Junior Members and Affiliates (JMAs). The aim of this review is to highlight the work and activities of EAACI JMAs. To this end, we have summarized all the initiatives taken by JMAs during the last 10 yr. EAACI JMAs are currently a group of over 2380 clinicians and scientists under the age of 35?yr, who support the continuous education of the Academy's younger members. For the past decade, JMAs enjoy a steadily increasing number of benefits such as free online access to the Academy's journals, the possibility to apply for Fellowships and the Mentorship Program, travel grants to attend scientific meetings, and many more. In addition, JMAs have been involved in task forces, cooperation schemes with other scientific bodies, organization of JMA focused sessions during EAACI meetings, and participation in the activities of EAACI communication platforms. EAACI JMA activities represent an ideal example of recruiting, training, and educating young scientists in order for them to thrive as future experts in their field. This model may serve as a prototype for other scientific communities, several of which have already adapted similar policies.     

Food allergy knowledge,attitudes, and beliefs of parents with food‐allergic children in the United States

Gupta RS, Springston EE, Smith B, Kim JS, Pongracic JA, Wang X, Holl J. Food allergy knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of parents with food‐allergic children in the United States.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: 927–934.
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Parents of food‐allergic children are responsible for risk assessment and management of their child’s condition. Such practices are likely informed by parental knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of food allergy. Our objective was to characterize food allergy knowledge and perceptions among parents with food‐allergic children. Parents were recruited nationally between January 2008 and 2009 to complete the validated, web‐based Chicago Food Allergy Research Survey for Parents of Children with Food Allergy. Findings were analyzed to provide composite/itemized knowledge scores, describe attitudes and beliefs, and examine the effects of participant characteristics on response. A sample of 2945 parents was obtained. Participants had an average knowledge score of 75% correct (range 19–100%). Strengths were observed in each content domain; e.g., 95% of participants accurately identified the signs of a milk‐induced reaction. Weaknesses were limited to items assessing food allergy triggers/environmental risks and perceptions of susceptibility/prevalence; e.g., 52% of parents incorrectly believed young children are at higher risk for fatal anaphylaxis than adolescents. Parental attitudes/beliefs were diverse, although 85% agreed children should carry an EpiPen at school and 91% felt schools should have staff trained in food allergy. One in four parents reported food allergy caused a strain on their marriage/relationship, and 40% reported experiencing hostility from other parents when trying to accommodate their child’s food allergy. In conclusion, parents in our study exhibited solid baseline knowledge although several important misconceptions were identified. While a broad spectrum of parental perceptions was observed, a large proportion of parents reported that their child’s food allergy had an adverse impact on personal relationships and also agreed on certain policies to address food allergy in schools.     

Novel insights regarding anaphylaxis in children - With a focus on prevalence,diagnosis, and treatment

Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that occurs rapidly and causes a life-threatening response involving the whole body. This reaction often leads to difficulty in breathing and can result in death. The estimated prevalence of anaphylaxis is 0.05%–2%, which is reported to be increasing in children. Although drugs and venom are the most common causes of anaphylaxis in adults, food is the most common cause of anaphylaxis in children. An interesting association between food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA) and oral immunotherapy (OIT) has recently been reported. A provocation test to determine the diagnostic and augmenting factors of FDEIA has been reported in recent years. Remarkably, several articles showed allergic symptoms without exercise in children with FDEIA and in those with FDEIA development after OIT. Regarding OIT, full-dose OIT poses a risk of adverse reactions, including anaphylaxis. Recent trials have shown the efficacy and safety of low-dose OIT in patients with food-induced anaphylaxis. In this review, we summarized the novel insights regarding anaphylaxis in the pediatric population.     

Functional analysis of neutrophil granulocytes from healthy, infected, and stressed neonates.

Neutrophil granulocyte function was assessed in 17 well term infants, 14 stressed infants, and eight infants with group B streptococcal infection. Chemiluminescence production elicited by opsonized zymosan or by a wild strain of type III group B streptococci, as well as phagocytosis and killing of streptococci, were measured. Chemiluminescence production by PMNs of term neonates in response to opsonized zymosan or group B streptococci was equal to that of adult controls. In contrast, six of nine stressed or infected neonates had depressed CL responses upon zymosan challenge. When opsonized type III group B streptococci were used to elicit CL, seven of ten stressed or infected infants had markedly depressed responses. Phagocytosis, as determined by a radiolabeled bacterial uptake technique, was normal in the healthy and stressed neonates. Depressed CL production by the PMNs of stressed or infected neonates was associated with impaired intracellular bactericidal activity, however. These studies indicate that stressed or infected neonates have impaired leukocyte metabolic activation that may be associated with depressed bactericidal activity. Such impairment may contribute to the morbidity and mortality observed in serious neonatal infections.     

Environmental risk factors for allergy and socioeconomic status in a birth cohort (BAMSE)

Associations between parental educational level and possible risk factors for atopic disease during the first months of life were explored in a cohort of 4089 neonate children born 1994–96 in Stockholm, Sweden. Reports concerning a number of life style factors during pregnancy and after the baby was born were obtained by questionnaire. There was a strong negative association between duration of education and maternal smoking during pregnancy, parental smoking after the baby was born and keeping of cat and dog (p‐trend < 0.001), respectively. For example, smoking during pregnancy was reported by 6.7% (95% CI 5.5–7.9) of mothers with college or university degree and by 22.2% (95% CI 20.1–24.5) of those with the shortest education. Indicators of dampness and poor ventilation were also more common in homes of those with the shortest education. The results show that the educational level has an influence on risk factors for development of atopic disease in childhood and indicates a need of deeper understanding of life style in different socioeconomic groups. The data also indicate that various possible confounding factors need to be thoroughly investigated when analysing studies of risk factors for allergic disease in childhood.