Coronavirus disease 2019, allergic diseases, and allergen immunotherapy: Possible favorable mechanisms of interaction.

Both, allergen immunotherapy (AIT) and SARS-COV-2 infection cause a set of immunologic changes that respectively vary during the course of the treatment or the disease. To review immune changes brought along by each of these entities and how they might interrelate. We start presenting a brief review of the structure of the new coronavirus and how it alters the functioning of the human immune system.

Cutaneous Manifestations Related to COVID-19 Immune Dysregulation in the Pediatric Age Group.

Purpose Of Review: At the juncture of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is currently in an early phase of collecting clinical data and reports of its skin manifestations, and its pathophysiology is still highly conjectural. We reviewed cutaneous manifestations associated with COVID-19 in the pediatric age group.

Recent Findings: Children infected by SARS-CoV-2 usually develop milder respiratory symptoms, but cutaneous manifestations seem a little more prevalent than in adults.

Global Asthma Network Phase I study in Mexico: prevalence of asthma symptoms, risk factors and altitude associations-a cross-sectional study.

Background: Global Asthma Network (GAN) was established in 2012 as a development to the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood to improve asthma care globally.

Objective: To survey asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in primary and secondary school children and to investigate and evaluate its prevalence, severity, management and risk factors in Mexico.

Methods: GAN Phase I is a cross-sectional, multicentre survey carried out in 15 centres corresponding to 14 Mexican cities throughout 2016-2019 using the validated Spanish language version of the GAN Phase I questionnaires.

Enhancing innate immunity against virus in times of COVID-19: Trying to untangle facts from fictions.

Introduction: In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, during which the world is confronted with a new, highly contagious virus that suppresses innate immunity as one of its initial virulence mechanisms, thus escaping from first-line human defense mechanisms, enhancing innate immunity seems a good preventive strategy.

Methods: Without the intention to write an official systematic review, but more to give an overview of possible strategies, in this review article we discuss several interventions that might stimulate innate immunity and thus our defense against (viral) respiratory tract infections. Some of these interventions can also stimulate the adaptive T- and B-cell responses, but our main focus is on the innate part of immunity.

Compromising between European and US allergen immunotherapy schools: Discussions from GUIMIT, the Mexican immunotherapy guidelines.

Background: Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has a longstanding history and still remains the only disease-changing treatment for allergic rhinitis and asthma. Over the years 2 different schools have developed their strategies: the United States (US) and the European. Allergen extracts available in these regions are adapted to local practice.

[The clinical practice of allergen immunotherapy in Mexico according to 277 allergists who were surveyed during a three-year AIT course].

Background: There are different guidelines for the diagnosis of allergic diseases and the application of allergen immunotherapy (AIT).

Objective: To describe how Mexican allergists diagnose and treat respiratory and food allergies with AIT.

Methods: 227 allergists who attended an immunotherapy symposium were surveyed; the topics investigated were the daily practices in the diagnosis of respiratory and food allergies, as well as ways to apply AIT.

[GUIMIT 2019, Mexican Guideline on Immunotherapy. Guideline on the diagnosis of IgE-mediated allergic disease and immunotherapy following the ADAPTE approach].

Background: In Mexico, allergen immunotherapy (AIT) and immunotherapy with hymenoptera venom (VIT) is traditionally practiced combining aspects of the European and American school. In addition, both types of extracts (European and American) are commercially available in Mexico. Moreover, for an adequate AIT/VIT a timely diagnosis is crucial.

Pediatric asthma treatment: What to do when international guideline recommendations do not agree.

Background: There was a need for a solid asthma guideline in Mexico to update and unify asthma management. Because high-quality asthma guidelines exist worldwide, in which the latest evidence on asthma management is summarized, the ADAPTE approach allows for the development of a national asthma guideline based on evidence from already existing guidelines, adapted to national needs.

Objective: To fuse evidence from the best asthma guidelines and adapt it to local needs with the ADAPTE approach.

[Mexican Asthma Guidelines: GUIMA 2017].

Background: The need for a national guideline, with a broad basis among specialists and primary care physicians was felt in Mexico, to try unifying asthma management. As several high-quality asthma guidelines exist worldwide, it was decided to select the best three for transculturation.

Methods: Following the internationally recommended methodology for guideline transculturation, ADAPTE, a literature search for asthma guidelines, published 1-1-2007 through 31-12-2015 was conducted.

In the (sub)tropics allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma classification of allergic rhinitis is more useful than perennial-seasonal classification.

Background: Two different allergic rhinitis (AR) symptom phenotype classifications exist. Treatment recommendations are based on intermittent-persistent (INT-PER) cataloging, but clinical trials still use the former seasonal AR-perennial AR (SAR-PAR) classification. This study was designed to describe how INT-PER, mild-moderate/severe and SAR-PAR of patients seen by allergists are distributed over the different climate zones in a (sub)tropical country and how these phenotypes relate to allergen sensitization patterns.

Allergen sensitization linked to climate and age, not to intermittent-persistent rhinitis in a cross-sectional cohort study in the (sub)tropics.

Background: Allergen exposure leads to allergen sensitization in susceptible individuals and this might influence allergic rhinitis (AR) phenotype expression. We investigated whether sensitization patterns vary in a country with subtropical and tropical regions and if sensitization patterns relate to AR phenotypes or age.

Methods: In a national, cross-sectional study AR patients (2-70 y) seen by allergists underwent blinded skin prick testing with a panel of 18 allergens and completed a validated questionnaire on AR phenotypes.

Maintenance of skills, competencies, and performance in allergy and clinical immunology: time to lay the foundation for a universal approach.

Allergist/clinical immunologist maintenance of certification and training program reaccreditation are mandatory in some countries. The World Allergy Organization conducted surveys in 2009 and 2011 to assess where such programs were available and to promote the establishment of such programs on a global level. This was done with the presumption that after such an "inventory," World Allergy Organization could offer guidance to its Member Societies on the promotion of such programs to assure the highest standards of practice in the field of allergy and clinical immunology.

[Mexican clinical practice guidelines of immunotherapy 2011].

Background: Several international guidelines on immunotherapy exist, but they only apply partially in Mexico. The Mexican guideline of immunotherapy dates from 1998.

Objectives: To establish clinical recommendations and suggestions for Allergy residents and specialists for skin testing and allergen immunotherapy based on evidence and Mexican expert opinion, according to the GRADE system.

[Allergic rhinitis update and its impact on asthma (ARIA 2008). Latin American perspective].

Rhinitis is the most frequent respiratory disease in most countries of the world. It is estimated that 600 million people suffer this condition. Allergic rhinitis is a public health problem at global level.

[Adverse reactions to skin tests and immunotherapy in the practice of Mexican allergologists].

Background: Immunotherapy is the only curative treatment recommended for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma, in which small amounts of allergen are administered sublingually or subcutaneously until the maximum tolerated dose has been reached. However, local or systemic adverse reactions (AR) -rarely even fatal- an occur. In Mexico there is no nationwide data on adverse reactions.

New types of immunotherapy in children.

Injection immunotherapy has been shown to be particularly beneficial in treating allergic rhinitis, mild to moderate asthma, and anaphylaxis caused by bee and wasp venom. It also produces a long-term, antigen-specific, protective immune effect and is the only treatment that offers the possibility of reducing the risk of asthma development in children with allergic rhinitis. Nonetheless, the potentially severe side effects associated with this form of immunotherapy limit its widespread use.

Frequency of acute systemic reactions in patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma treated with sublingual immunotherapy.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy in the treatment of respiratory allergy.

Objective: To determine the frequency of systemic adverse reactions in patients treated with standardized extracts of sublingual immunotherapy.

Methods: Allergic patients with rhinitis with or without asthma and sensitized to at least 1 allergen were included.

[Safety of immunotherapy and skin tests with allergens in children younger than five years].

Background: It has been demonstrated that specific immunotherapy, in addition to its preventive properties, is an effective and safe therapeutic resource for allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergy to insect's venom; however, its use in patients younger than five years has been limited due to the risk of systemic reactions.

Objectives: To know the frequency and severity of systemic reactions in children younger than five years and to know if a greater risk of systemic reactions in this group of age is real.

Patients And Methods: We included 239 patients from one to five years of age with diagnosis of allergic disease and verified its specific sensitivity with skin tests or RAST and were treated with specific immunotherapy.

[Non-fatal systemic reactions caused by immunotherapy and skin tests].

Objective: The frequency and severity of systemic reaction (SR) from skin test (ST) and specific immunotherapy (SIT) in Mexico, have not been published before. In order to know that frequency and severity, a prospective study was performed in the Allergy Clinic at General Hospital of Matamoros from August, 1991 to July, 1996. SR from ST and SIT were monitored.