Less Than 50% of Asthmatic Children Control Their Symptoms, Despite Available Treatments

GENEVA and ZURICH, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- AAAAI, ACAAI, EAACI and WAO launch the International Consensus (ICON) on Pediatric Asthma at the EAACI Congress 2012

- The goal of the Pediatric Asthma ICON is to ensure appropriate asthma management to control the disease and improve the quality of life of patients.

- The Pediatric Asthma ICON is part of the iCAALL initiative, International Collaboration in Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.

The International Consensus (ICON) on Pediatric Asthma has been launched during the EAACI Congress 2012 in Geneva. The goal of this ICON is to highlight the key messages that are common to many of the existing guidelines, while critically reviewing and commenting on their differences, thus providing a concise reference. The Pediatric Asthma ICON provides advice for the best clinical practice in pediatric asthma management.

Hundreds of millions of people in the world suffer from allergies, and it is estimated that 300 million* have asthma. In some countries, one in three children has asthma, and 80% of them also have other allergies. There are many guidelines and consensus documents about how to treat this disease but the dissemination and implementation of these are still major challenges.

"Despite available treatments, less than 50% of asthmatic children control their symptoms," according to Prof. Nikos Papadopoulos, EAACI Secretary General and Pediatric Asthma ICON Chair. "Pediatric asthma is a chronic disease and therefore, requires chronic treatment. With this Consensus we highlight that pediatric asthma can be controlled by establishing a partnership between patient and doctor and adhering to a well-designed personal management plan. Regular monitoring ascertains the effectiveness and fine-tunes treatment," he said.

The Pediatric Asthma ICON is set to be published in Allergy, the European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2012.02865.x/abstract)

iCAALL

Recognising a lack of consensus-driven information and general recommendations, four of the most influential allergy and clinical immunology professional organisations have joined forces to launch the International Collaboration in Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (iCAALL). Participating in iCAALL with EAACI are the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) and the World Allergy Organization (WAO).

A major focus of this initiative is the production of a series of International Consensus (ICON) documents offering recommendations for the management of global challenges such as pediatric asthma.

*Editorial Notes: Statistic source: World Health Organization

From the Participating iCAALL Organizations:

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)

"Data from the USA Centers for Disease Control indicates that one in eleven children has asthma and one in five children with asthma required an emergency department visit.  Pediatric asthma is as or more prevalent in other countries.  The development of this Pediatric Asthma ICON regarding diagnosing and treating this very common and sometimes lethal pediatric disorder is extremely important. Highlighting key issues and rectifying differences in published guidelines on pediatric asthma is a significant step towards providing better care and outcomes for children with asthma throughout the world," explained Thomas B. Casale, MD, FAAAAI AAAAI Executive Vice President.

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI)

"Diagnosis and care for children with asthma remains challenging in many areas of the world, including the United States.  Our hope is that publication and use of the International Consensus on (ICON) Pediatric Asthma can help change this problem," said Stanley Fineman, MD, FACAAI, MBA and president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  "As allergists, our goal is to get the right care to the children who need it most no matter where they live. With proper care and management children with asthma can grow up to live not just healthier, but more productive lives."

European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)  

"The Pediatric Asthma ICON will benefit patients from phenotype-specific recommendations," according to Prof. Cezmi Akdis, EAACI President. "A comprehensive approach is needed for effective treatment, including medications, education, avoidance of triggers and more," he added. "Local guidelines need to be tailored to meet local needs - the Pediatric Asthma ICON may serve as a basis for the development of such documents," he added. Dr. Akdis also emphasized that all of the unmet needs identified in the document require future research and research funds for allergy and asthma are still scarce in Europe, although pediatric respiratory diseases (particularly asthma) have been selected as the health priority in the EU just last year.

World Allergy Organization (WAO)

The prevalence of asthma especially in children continues to increase worldwide affecting their quality of life and leading to increased costs. Moreover, under-diagnosis and inadequate treatment leads to premature and unwanted deaths. "The World Allergy Organization (WAO) is greatly concerned about this growing global health problem and is committed to increase its efforts in improving the management of asthma globally through better dissemination of effective management strategies and increased public awareness and hopes that such collaborative efforts like the ICONs will make this difference," said Prof. Ruby Pawankar, President of the World Allergy Organization. 

For more information, please contact:

EAACI Headquarters - Macarena Guillamón
[email protected]
Tel: +41-44-205-55-32
Mobile: +41-79-892-82-25

Maria Diviney - Shepard Fox Communications
[email protected]
Tel: +33-95-045-7168
Mobile: +33-66-620-6462

SOURCE EAACI - European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology