LISBON, Portugal, November 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Techniques for determining allergic diseases have improved dramatically in recent years, the most important advance that has occurred is the molecular diagnosis. Around 300 researchers and clinicians from all over the world met in Lisbon (Portugal) at the 6th International Symposium on Molecular Allergology (ISMA 2015), organised by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) to debate the advantages and implications of this diagnostic method.
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House dust mite (HDM) allergy is one of the most frequent allergies in Europe[1]: 50% of all allergic patients are allergic to mites, which totals about 10% of the population.
The discovery of a new mite allergen (Der p 23) can improve the accuracy of diagnosis of HDM allergic patients who suffer from rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis. "This discovery is of high importance because 70% of mite allergic patients strongly react to it. Because of its high frequency and allergic activity, Der p 23 must be considered an essential component for the diagnosis and specific immunotherapy of HDM allergy," explains Dr. Susanne Vrtala, Division of Immunopathology, Medical University of Vienna (Austria).
The availability of clinically important allergenic molecules is changing the manner in which the clinicians and allergists can make a more definitive diagnosis and management plan for the allergic patients. Nevertheless, "The field of molecular allergology is in its infancy in terms of availability of molecules and their application," argue Prof. Robert G. Hamilton, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine of Baltimore (USA), and Dr. Joerg Kleine-Tebbe, Allergy and Asthma Center Westend, Outpatient Clinic Hanf, Ackermann & Kleine-Tebbe, Berlin (Germany). However, molecular allergy diagnostics have already become a vital secondary line of testing.
Several clinical studies conducted in Spain have led to a radical change in the way patients are diagnosed and treated, says Prof. Domingo Barber, Institute for Applied Molecular Medicine School of Medicine, Universidad CEU San Pablo, Madrid (Spain). "Approximately 25% of allergic patients are not well diagnosed with the conventional techniques and, therefore, their treatment is inadequate," says Prof. Barber. He further argues that molecular analysis allows a more sensitive and reliable diagnosis than traditional methods.
Full press release: https://hkstrategies.egnyte.com/fl/3sPnIUcGI8
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