Anaphylaxis: Assessment and Management
Key Points • Most episodes of anaphylaxis occur in the community, not in healthcare settings. Food is by far the most common trigger. Concomitant asthma increases the risk of severe…
Insect Sting Allergy
Key Points • The majority of insect sting reactions in children are mild and frequently only dermal (hives, angioedema). • Children who have only dermal reactions have a very benign…
Allergic and Immunologic Eye Disease
Key Points • The hallmark of allergic conjunctivitis is itching. Bacterial and viral conjunctivitis do not commonly present with pruritus. • Bacterial and viral conjunctivitis generally have a self-limited course…
Latex Allergy
Key Points • Natural rubber latex (NRL) is contained in thousands of consumer and medical products and is responsible for an epidemic of IgE-mediated latex allergy in the past three…
Urticaria and Angioedema
Key Points • The distinction between acute and chronic urticaria/angioedema has important diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Recurrent angioedema without urticaria suggests the possibility of hereditary angioedema. • The most common…
Drug Allergy
Key Points • While true drug hypersensitivity is relatively uncommon, many children are labeled as being ‘allergic’ to various medications, particularly antibiotics. They end up carrying this label into adulthood…
Role of Barrier Dysfunction and Immune Response in Atopic Dermatitis
Key Points • Pruritus and chronic or relapsing eczematous dermatitis with typical distribution are essential for diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD). • Interactions between susceptibility genes, the host’s environment, pharmacologic…
Contact Dermatitis
Key Points • Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in children is not uncommon and should be suspected in patients with chronic dermatitis. • Patch testing is the gold standard for the…
Management of Atopic Dermatitis
Key Points • Proper skin hydration and skin barrier protection are key to management of atopic dermatitis (AD). • Topical antiinflammatory therapy includes use of topical steroids and calcineurin inhibitors….
Immunotherapeutic Approaches to the Treatment of Food Allergy
Key Points • Restoration or induction of immune tolerance is the primary goal for immunotherapy (IT) for food allergy, requiring significant immunomodulation to be effective. • Emerging immunotherapeutic approaches to…
