provision of allergy Services : Sixth report of session 2003-04, Vol. 2: Oral and written Evidence

With allergies affecting about 30% of the adult population, and 40% of children, the need for a skilled primary care service is essential. The Committee, though, found serious problems in provision of such services. To combat this, the Committee recommends; setting up a network of primary care allergy providers; improved incentives for GPs to treat allergies; a system for better training in understanding and dealing with allergies; developing a framework that introduces allergies into the GPs Special Interest programme, so giving their treatment higher priority. Besides the deficiencies highlighted in the primary care services, the Committee also recommends improvements to secondary and tertiary care, and that at least one specialist allergy centre should be located in each of the former NHS regions, serving populations of between 5-7 million, and with a minimum of four allergy consultants. The Committee thinks that in the longer term, allergies should be the focus of a full specialist consultant workforce, with every major teaching hospital having a consultant-led service

Over the past 20 years, public concerns have grown in response to the apparent rising prevalence of food allergy and related atopic conditions, such as eczema. Although evidence on the true prevalence of food allergy is complicated by insufficient or inconsistent data and studies with variable methodologies, many health care experts who care for patients agree that a real increase in food allergy has occurred and that it is unlikely to be due simply to an increase in awareness and better tools for diagnosis. Many stakeholders are concerned about these increases, including the general public, policy makers, regulatory agencies, the food industry, scientists, clinicians, and especially families of children and young people suffering from food allergy. At the present time, however, despite a mounting body of data on the prevalence, health consequences, and associated costs of food allergy, this chronic disease has not garnered the level of societal attention that it warrants. Moreover, for patients and families at risk, recommendations and guidelines have not been clear about preventing exposure or the onset of reactions or for managing this disease. Finding a Path to Safety in Food Allergy examines critical issues related to food allergy, including the prevalence and severity of food allergy and its impact on affected individuals, families, and communities; and current understanding of food allergy as a disease, and in diagnostics, treatments, prevention, and public policy. This report seeks to: clarify the nature of the disease, its causes, and its current management; highlight gaps in knowledge; encourage the implementation of management tools at many levels and among many stakeholders; and delineate a roadmap to safety for those who have, or are at risk of developing, food allergy, as well as for others in society who are responsible for public health.

For children with food allergies, eating—one of the basic functions of life—can be a nightmare. Children who suffer or become dangerously ill after eating peanuts, seafood, milk, eggs, wheat, or a host of other foods require constant vigilance from caring, concerned parents, teachers, and friends. In this empathetic and comprehensive guide, Dr. Scott H. Sicherer, a specialist in pediatric food allergies, gives parents the information they need to manage their children’s health and quality of life. He describes why children develop food allergy, the symptoms of food allergy (affecting the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, and the respiratory system), and the role of food allergy in behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. Parents will learn how to recognize emergency situations, how to get the most out of a visit with an allergist, what allergy test results mean, and how to protect their children—at home, at school, at summer camp, and in restaurants. Informative, compassionate, and practical, this guide will be indispensable for parents, physicians, school nurses, teachers, and everyone else who cares for children with food allergies.

Accompanying CD-ROM contains illustrations from the book. These images can be used in PowerPoint. Also contains a Macromedia Flash-based program.