Physician practice in food allergy prevention in the Middle East and North Africa.

Background: A number of scientific organisations have developed guidelines for the primary prevention of allergic disease through nutritional interventions. However, even if the best evidence-based guidelines are available, these guidelines do not necessarily lead to adherence and improved health outcomes.

Method: To determine how closely the practice of physicians in select Middle Eastern and North African countries compares with the current recommendations on the primary prevention of allergy a survey study was performed using a structured questionnaire and convenience sampling.

Cladosporium and respiratory allergy: diagnostic implications in Saudi Arabia.

An allergological study to evaluate allergenicity to Cladosporium, Burkard 7-Day Volumetric Spore Trap and Personal Volumetric air sampler (viable mode) were employed to conduct air sampling for 12 months in three regions of Saudi Arabia. The study was extended for a continuous 3rd year at one site. Skin prick testing (SPT) was also conducted on 605 allergic individuals using commercial extracts of C.

The management of acute severe asthma in a pediatric intensive care unit.

Objective: The hospitalization and mortality rates incurred from acute childhood asthma continue to rise in the past decade. The purpose of this study is to examine the outcome, morbidity and the management of children admitted with acute asthma to our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and compare it with those described in the literature.

Methods: Medical records of all children admitted with acute severe asthma to PICU at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over an 8-year period (1994-2001) were reviewed.