Note from the President

Dear Colleagues:

Four months ago, I was honored to assume the Presidency of the World Allergy Organization (WAO). Since then, the WAO Board and staff have continued diligently to carry forward a variety of different projects, the most important of which in the immediate future is the Post-graduate International Scientific Conference: "Asthma and Co-morbid Conditions: Expanding the Practice of Allergy for Optimal Patient Care" to be held in Dubai, 5-8 December, 2010.

Please join us at the WAO International Scientific Conference (WISC) 2010 in Dubai, December 5-8.
This post-graduate conference will feature approximately 50 renowned faculty members, who will update attendees on the co-morbid conditions associated with asthma, including: vocal cord dysfunction, rhinosinusitis, eczema, bronchiectasis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, and endocrine abnormalities. These and many other co-morbid conditions of asthma will be reviewed and discussed. A few of the many other subjects to be covered include Subcutaneous Immunotherapy (SCIT), Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT), appropriate immunizations for asthma and COPD, rhinoscopy, bone scans, and the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, a common co-morbid condition of asthma. For more information about this International Scientific Conference please visit www.worldallergy.org/2010Dubai/.

WAO Board Retreat
The entire WAO Board will meet in London at the annual meeting of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) in early June. Board members have assembled into ten task forces, formed from three-strategic focus areas, and will report their progress during a "retreat" prior to the Board meeting.

The Fiscal task forces are working on fundraising and other financial matters. Content is another strategic area of focus, and the task forces are discussing clinical immunology and primary immunodeficiency, as well as pediatric allergy, asthma and immunology, and how these should be better integrated into the repertoire of subjects covered at the World Allergy Congress (WAC) and in other educational endeavors. The third strategic focus is Programmatic/WAO Activities, and those task forces are working on ways to grow the WAO Journal, and WAO website, as well as how to better integrate junior members into WAO activities.

In summary, this has been an exciting four months for me. I am pleased that so many of you have taken the time to write me and to express interest in various projects and activities. I appreciate the wonderful cooperation and assistance of the WAO Board and its staff. Keep those emails coming to: rlockey@health.usf.edu

With warm regards,

Richard F. Lockey, M.D.
President, World Allergy Organization

WAO Member Society Forum

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Tuesday 8 June
WAO warmly invites Member Society representatives to the upcoming WAO Member Society Forum.

Tuesday, 8 June 2010
13:30 - 15:00
ExCeL London Convention Center,
South Gallery Room 27/28
London

WAO is eager to continue receiving feedback from you and your society. Please come and share with WAO leaders and colleagues from all over the world:

• Society news & accomplishments
• Allergy, asthma & immunology news from your country
• Ideas on continued collaboration with WAO and amongst WAO member societies
• Your thoughts on topics of interest to the field: continuing medical education, online and distance learning, training programs, growing the specialty, and many more
• Your feedback on how you see yourself and your society collaborating with WAO on various activities & programs
• Questions for the WAO leaders

Please RSVP by 27 May 2010 to Kate Kirchner kkirchner@worldallergy.org with any questions.

If you cannot attend, we would be happy to welcome another representative on behalf of your society. Please share this invitation with colleagues. We hope to greet you at this important Member Society event!

WAO White Book on Allergy
Request for comment from Member Society Leaders

WAO is preparing the first WAO White Book on Allergy (WAO White Book) for publication in 2010. WAO believes it is imperative that our member societies are a part of this important project, and invites your allergy society to contribute to the White Book by providing information on the current status of allergy in your country for inclusion in the Appendix to the White Book.

Please Note: the questionnaire is due by 19 May 2010. Please contact Kate Kirchner, at kkirchner@worldallergy.org with any questions.

Anaphylaxis Document Review

WAO Guidelines for the Assessment and Management of Anaphylaxis for review by Member Society leaders.

Thank you! to the WAO Member Societies that have responded to the request for review of the Anaphylaxis manuscript. Your review of this manuscript is greatly appreciated by the WAO Special Committee on Anaphylaxis. If you have received a request for review and have not yet responded, kindly return the comment form to Kate Kirchner, at kkirchner@worldallergy.org, by Monday 7 June 2010. Thank you

Now published in the WAO Journal!

World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) Guidelines

Initiated by the WAO Special Committee on Food Allergy, the newly published document "World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) Guidelines," is a reappraisal of the recent literature on diagnosis and treatment of cow's milk allergy (CMA).

The new information addresses an unmet need because the guidelines currently in use are at least ten years old. The new document covers diagnostic algorithms, challenge testing methodology, consideration of appropriate sensitization tests, and the limits of diagnostic procedures with regard to levels of accuracy. In addition, there is discussion of appropriate substitute formulas that can be used in various clinical situations and with consideration of patient preferences, costs, local availability and others.

The WAO DRACMA Guidelines resulted from collaboration among clinicians and statisticians worldwide. It contains evidence-based guidelines for CMA that were drafted according to the GRADE methodology and encompass the experience from 10,000+ studies translating it into practical recommendations.

Fiocchi A, Brozek J, Schünemann H, Bahna S, von Berg A et al. World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) Guidelines. World Allergy Organization Journal 2010; 3 (4): 57-161.

WAO DRACMA PANEL MEMBERS

WAO Allergy Quiz

Check your allergy quotient!
Edited by Dr. Glenis Scadding

A two-year old patient is presenting with failure to thrive, vomiting and irritability. What is your presumptive diagnosis? And what complementary evaluations would you ask for?

1. Food allergy: Specific IgE and/or patch test
2. Eosinophilic esophagitis: Endoscopy and biopsy
3. GERD: pH measurement
4. Both 2 and 3 above
5. All of the above

Take the quiz.

This Allergy Quiz was contributed by Maximiliano Gómez MD,
Head, Allergy & Immunology Unit, Hospital San Bernardo, Salta, Argentina.

ANNOUNCEMENT
The WAO Henning Løwenstein Research Award 2011 Call for applicants

The WAO Henning Løwenstein Research Award is a biennial award given to a young scientist who has shown excellence within the field of allergy.

The award winner will receive €20,000 and a travel grant to attend the WAO Congress in Cancun, Mexico, December 4-8, 2011.

For more information or to submit an application, please e-mail WAOHLAward@alk-abello.com. Deadline for applications is 30 June 2011.

Information for the Practicing Allergist

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