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Revised nomenclature for allergy for global use: Report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the World Allergy Organization, October 2003

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2003.12.591Get rights and content

Abstract

The nomenclature proposed in the October 2003 report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the World Allergy Organization is an update of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology Revised Nomenclature for Allergy Position Statement published in 2001. The nomenclature can be used independently of target organ or patient age group and is based on the mechanisms that initiate and mediate allergic reactions. It is assumed that as knowledge about basic causes and mechanisms improves, the nomenclature will need further review.

Section snippets

General terms

The revision of nomenclature proposed in the EAACI NPS is based on the mechanism initiating the reaction, which is usually inflammatory, and causing the symptoms and signs of the allergic disease. Because very similar inflammation and clinical presentation can be initiated by different mechanisms, it is of great importance for the researcher, physician, and patient to understand the initiating mechanism. Failure to do so can lead to incorrect conclusions, inappropriate advice on prevention, and

Asthma

Asthma14 resulting from immunological reactions should be called allergic asthma (Fig 1). Most cases are initiated by IgE antibodies, and if there is a wish to highlight that fact, a proper term is IgE-mediated allergic asthma. The importance of other immunologic mechanisms in initiating the inflammation associated with allergic asthma needs further investigation. Eighty percent of childhood asthma15., 16. and >50% of adult asthma has been reported to be allergic. The mechanisms initiating

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Karen Henley Davies, WAO, for supporting the work of the Committee, and Prof Carl-Fredrik Wahlgren, Department of Dermatology, Karolinska University Hospital, for hours of discussion and explanation.

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