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UPDATED NIH GUIDELINES OFFER VALUABLE INFORMATION ON ASTHMA
DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT
-Findings Validate Importance of Allergy Testing in Managing
Chronic Condition-
PORTAGE, MI, August 30, 2007—Phadia US Inc. announced
today that The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program
(NAEPP) has issued an update on selected topics in the Guidelines
for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. Information in
the guidelines reported that allergies have emerged as one
of the most important factors in the development, persistence
and potential severity of asthma and that allergy testing
is necessary to educate patients about allergen avoidance
and symptom control.
“The role of allergy testing in asthma management
is important information for patients, particularly because
many asthmatics are not aware that a simple blood test can
be conducted to identify what is triggering an asthma attack,” said
Dean Mitchell, MD, leading allergist and author of Dr.
Dean Mitchell’s Allergy and Asthma Solution. “Allergy
diagnostic testing using a specific IgE blood test is a safe
and accurate method to identify triggers early on and effectively
manage patients.”
The Guidelines were developed by an expert panel commissioned
by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program and
coordinated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health to ensure that
the asthma guidelines reflect the latest scientific advances
in this area. The guidelines were first published in 1991
and revised in 1997 and 2002. These latest parameters highlight
the importance of keeping asthma under control through four
critical components of asthma care, including: assessment
and monitoring, patient education, control of environmental
factors contributing to asthma severity, and pharmacologic
therapy.
“As the presence of allergens increases this fall
allergy season, it will be critical for patients to understand
what their allergic triggers are and how to avoid those allergens,” said
Dr. Mitchell. “By accurately diagnosing allergies,
healthcare providers can recommend avoidance strategies,
so that patients can minimize their exposure to triggers,
which collectively are responsible for pushing them over
their allergic threshold and intensifying asthma symptoms.”
According to the guidelines, approximately 22 million Americans
have asthma and more than six million of these are children,
making it one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood.
While the number of asthma-related deaths has declined in
recent years, nearly 500,000 asthma-related hospitalizations
occur annually resulting in a significant economic burden
on our healthcare system.
“Knowledge gained from allergy testing allows asthma
patients to make necessary adjustments to their environment
to decrease their risk for asthma attacks and subsequent
hospitalizations,” said Dr. Mitchell.
ImmunoCAP was the first allergy test to be cleared by the
FDA as a truly quantitative test for pinpointing allergens
and allergy blood testing is recognized by the National Institutes
of Health for the management of patients with asthma. The
ImmunoCAP technology works by measuring IgE antibodies to
specific allergens in a small sample of blood. Specific IgE
is produced as a result of sensitization to an allergen and
increases with exposure to that substance.
Phadia AB, headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden, is the world
leader in in vitro IgE diagnostic research and product development.
Its U.S. affiliate is in Portage, Michigan.
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