Rupatadine oral solution in children with persistent allergic rhinitis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. No large, multicentre clinical trials in children with persistent allergic rhinitis (PER) have previously been performed. Rupatadine, a newer second-generation antihistamine, effective and safe in adults, is a promising treatment for children with AR.

Pediatric allergy and immunology in Spain.

The data of the ISAAC project in Spain show a prevalence of childhood asthma ranging from 7.1% to 15.3%, with regional differences; a higher prevalence, 22.

Calculating the prevalence of atopy in children.

Background: Atopy is an important risk factor for asthma, rhinitis, atopic eczema and urticaria. For this reason, several studies have been done to determine the prevalence of atopy in the paediatric population. The important differences among these studies do not allow the extrapolating of results.

Sublingual specific immunotherapy: state of the art.

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) was first attempted more than a century ago. After a long parenthesis probably related to the lack of impressive clinical results, the advances on allergen quantification and characterization, together with the improvements in the recombination techniques have renewed the interest in this therapy during the past decade. There are currently enough high quality clinical trials on its efficacy in the management of respiratory allergies (asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis) to conclude that SLIT could be an effective tool for the management of those diseases.

Cow's milk protein allergy. A multi-centre study: clinical and epidemiological aspects.

Background: Due to the age when it becomes apparent and the treatment needed, cow's milk proteins (CMP) allergy requires an accurate diagnosis to avoid labelling infants falsely as allergic and subjecting them to unnecessary diets. The objective of this multi-centre study carried out at the Allergy Units of 14 Children's Hospitals was to discover the epidemiological, clinical and evolutionary characteristics of cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA).

Methods And Results: Infants suspected of CMPA who attended allergy clinics at the hospitals taking part during the study period were studied and a detailed clinical history was collected on all of them.

The use of spirometers and peak flow meters in the diagnosis and management of asthma among Spanish pediatricians. Results from the TRAP study.

The objective of this study was to determine the level of adherence of pediatricians in Spain to the Spanish National Guidelines for Asthma Treatment with regard to the use of a peak flow meter (PEFR) or a spirometer in the diagnosis and management of asthma in childhood and to analyze sources of variations in these practices. A prospective survey (consisting of demographic and asthma knowledge sections) was conducted over a 2-wk time interval of 3000 pediatricians throughout the country. At least one part of the questionnaire was completed and returned by 2773 individuals (92.