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March 16, 2005 |
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Welcome to ACAAI eNews — a bi-weekly aggregated news service
from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. To be
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Stories |
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Drugs and Devices |
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Distance Learning |
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Association
News |
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Calendar |
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Archive |
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FIT Archive |
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Of readers responding, 68 percent favor the formation of the
Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Coalition among ACAAI, AAAAI
and lay organizations. |
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Are
the ACAAI Annual Meeting evaluation results helpful
to you, especially in planning a meeting?
Is it
important to you to have joint sponsorship of local,
state and regional meetings available through the
College? |
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Distance Learning |
2004 ACAAI ANNUAL MEETING
Nov. 12-17, Boston
Link
From the 2003 ACAAI ANNUAL MEETING
Nov. 7-12, 2003, New Orleans
• Two Symposia Online
Link
• Plenary Sessions CD-ROM and DVD
Link
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Calendar |
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MARCH
AAAAI Annual Meeting
March 18-22
San Antonio, Tex.
Tel: 414-272-6071
E-mail
Link
April
63rd Annual Course in Allergy & Clinical Immunology
University of Minnesota
April 8
Minneapolis
Tel: 612-626-7600
Link
JUNE
World Allergy Congress
June 26 – July 1
Munich, Germany
Link
JULY
23rd Annual Aspen Allergy
Conference
July 27-30
Aspen, Colo.
Contact: Kathleen Goldy
Tel: 303-282-0491
E-mail
Link
ONGOING
World Allergy Organization Society Meetings
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Sponsored
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Top
Stories |
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Kids who witness violence have higher asthma rates
Children who witness violence in their community or at home
have a higher risk of both emotional and physical illness —
including allergies and asthma — according to a study in
Journal of Pediatrics. Scientists at the University of
Michigan interviewed the mothers and teachers of 160 children
from low-income, single-mother families, who were enrolled in
two counties’ Head Start programs. Of the 160, 65 percent of the
4- to 6-year-old subjects had witnessed at least one violent
incident, including chases, beatings, rapes, shootings and
stabbings. Forty-seven percent had witnessed violence within
their own families. Of the children exposed to violence, nearly
a third had allergies, asthma or ADHD.
One-third of asthma-free kids relapse
as adults
One-third of children who outgrow their asthma by age 18
develop it again by age 26, according to a study in Chest.
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada,
followed 1,037 children born during 1972–1973 in New Zealand.
Subjects answered questions and received respiration tests at 9,
11, 13, 15, 18, 21, and 26 years old. They also received lung
function and allergen skin-prick testing at certain ages. When
868 subjects were evaluated at 18 years old, 176 had experienced
asthma during childhood, but 68 no longer suffered symptoms. By
26 years old, however, 24 of those recovered patients had
relapsed.
Asthma common among sickle cell disease
children
Children with sickle cell disease may be prone to asthma,
according to a study in Thorax. Scientists at the Sickle
Cell Clinic at the University of the West Indies in Kingston,
Jamaica, studied 160 children — 80 with sickle cell disease and
80 ethnically matched control subjects. Parents answered a
modified asthma questionnaire. Subjects underwent
exercise/bronchodilator challenge and skin-prick tests. Asthma
was more common in the children with sickle cell disease than in
the controls, 48 percent vs. 22 percent. Bronchial hyperreactivity also was more common.
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 A word from President Myron
Zitt, M.D.
It’s that time of year when the College, under the
guidance of this year’s Program Chair, William Dolen,
M.D., is actively planning our November 2005 annual
meeting in Anaheim, Calif. As you are aware, a needs
assessment is essential in determining the topics and
speakers for the upcoming meeting. A significant amount of
information in this regard is obtained from the evaluation
forms completed by attendees during our meeting. As this
data is helpful not only for those who are planning the
College annual meeting, but also for representatives of
our Local, State and Regional (LSR) organizations who are
planning their own CME events, I believe it would be
appropriate to share our analysis of the Boston congress
with you.
The 2004 ACAAI Annual Meeting attracted a record high
attendance of 4,515 total registrants, including 1,871
physicians. Success of the meeting is underscored by the
following analysis of attendees’ evaluations.
The Immunotherapy Collegium II preceded the meeting
with a strong attendance of 469 and an excellent overall
session rating. Of those who completed the evaluation, 78
percent said the program resulted in changes to their
practice. The highest rated speakers were John J.
Oppenheimer, M.D., and Harold Nelson, M.D.
The Literature Review Course once again won acclaim
as one of the most useful features of the convention. It
attracted 491 attendees, and of those who completed the
evaluation, 70 percent (morning session) and 77 percent
(afternoon session) said the program resulted in changes
to their practice. Attendees rated Mark D. O’Hallaren,
M.D., the most popular speaker, followed by Anthony
Montanaro, M.D., Harold S. Nelson, M.D., and John M.
Kelso, M.D.
Derm Fest concluded the meeting with an attendance of 423
for the first session, and featured two of the highest
rated symposia — We’ve Only Scratched the Surface:
Advances in the Management of Chronic Urticaria,
supported by an educational grant from sanofi-aventis; and
Emerging Therapies for Hereditary Angioedema,
supported by an educational grant from Genzyme
Corporation/Dyax Corp. The Walk Through the Parameters
on Atopic Dermatitis held at the Boston Science Museum
received an excellent rating and top marks for speakers,
the highest being Vincent A. Beltrani, M.D., and Mark
Boguniewicz, M.D.
Over 22 hours of cutting-edge Plenary Sessions were
featured during the meeting. Presented in various formats,
including a debate and point/counter point, they received
high marks from attendees. The most highly rated programs
were:
• Controlling the Indoor Environment
With 675 attendees, it was rated the top score.
• The Great Asthma Raft Debate
The highest Plenary in attendance, with 1,275
participants, praised for its creativity and novel
approach.
• Food Allergy: Prevention, Sensitization and Treatment
– What Do We Do Now
With attendance of 700, it received an excellent overall
rating.
• Anaphylaxis: A Look at the Oldest of Allergic
Problems
Attracting an audience of 1,188, it received a high
score.
Plenary speakers that received the highest ratings were:
Dennis R. Ownby, M.D., for his presentation on Primary
Prevention is Not Available; Philip L. Lieberman,
M.D., The Frequency and Significance of the LPR in
Anaphylaxis; Hugh A. Sampson, M.D., Food-Related
Dermatitis; and F. Estelle Simons, M.D.,
Epinephrine – Past, Present and Future.
The College scheduled 20 industry-sponsored Symposia
at the Boston meeting. They were all very well received.
The most highly rated presentations were:
• Understanding Disease Consequences in Allergic
Rhinitis, supported by an educational grant from
GlaxoSmithKline
• Prescriptions for Better Asthma Control,
supported by an educational grant from sanofi-aventis and
ALTANA Pharma
• Childhood Asthma in America: Findings of the Children
and Asthma in America Survey, supported by an
educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline
Highest marks for symposium presentations were received by
Curtis Schreiber, M.D., David B. Granet, M.D., John J.
Oppenheimer, M.D., William W. Busse, M.D., and Joann
Blessing-Moore, M.D.
The College has worked diligently to prevent commercial
bias at our Pharmaceutical Symposia. Programs and speakers
were chosen entirely by our organization, without industry
interference, and were selected based on needs assessment
information. Program moderators reviewed the outline, text
and/or PowerPoint presentations of each speaker to assure
fair balance and prevent duplication or commercialism. The
discussion of any therapeutic or diagnostic modality that
might be considered “off-label” was disclosed, while
generic rather than brand names were employed except when
multiple agents were evenly represented. Every effort was
made to ensure speaker disclosure.
As a result, I am pleased to report that in assessing the
Symposia, neither attendees nor CME Committee auditors
reported significant bias or commercialism that would
interfere with program credibility.
As I noted in one of my earlier e-news columns, both the
ACAAI and the LSR organizations with which we joint
sponsor educational programs will have to be more vigilant
than ever in conforming to updated 2005 CME guidelines.
Speakers will not be able to present unless disclosure is
provided. However, ACCME has backed off to some degree, in
that lecturers with potential conflicts who, for example,
may have conducted research or participated as consultants
or on speakers bureaus for industry will be allowed to
present, provided the sponsor is able “resolve” apparent
conflicts. Our CME/CPD Committee Chair Lyndon Mansfield,
M.D., assures me that the ACAAI has developed a
satisfactory system for addressing this problem and will
be able to assist our Program Committee and our joint
sponsoring LSRs in meeting planning.
With needs assessment information based on the evaluations
from previous congresses and the guidance of our CME/CPD
Committee, nobody conducts better meetings than the
allergist.
Myron Zitt, M.D.
President, ACAAI |
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Drugs and Devices |
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FDA approves long-acting Clarinex-D
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently
approved desloratadine 5 mg plus pseudoephedrine sulfate 240 mg
extended-release tablets for the relief of seasonal allergic
rhinitis symptoms in patients 12 years and older.
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Association
News |
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House of
Delegates gets Web page
The ACAAI House of Delegates now has its own page on the
College’s Web site. Dr. Rose Marie Young, speaker of the House
of Delegates, announced the site in a recent broadcast e-mail
to ACAAI members.
The page will be used for posting actions of the House and
follow-up information and activities. Members of the House of
Delegates and others are welcome to send comments and
questions.
To access the House of Delegates page, browse to the Home Page
at
www.acaai.org and click on MEMBER INFORMATION. Then click
on the HOUSE OF DELEGATES navigational link on the left-hand
side of the page.
Foundation awards grant to the Consortium of Children’s
Asthma Camps
The Foundation of ACAAI awarded a two-year $50,000 grant to
the Consortium of Children’s Asthma Camps. The Consortium
supports asthma camps nationwide in successfully teaching
children how to manage their asthma, while increasing their
involvement in recreational and social activities to build
their social skills and self-confidence.
“The Foundation of ACAAI assists the Consortium in providing
programs and services that benefit 15,000 young asthma
patients attending 150 camps around the country through its
Annual Fundraising Dinner,” said Dr. Emil J. Bardana, Jr.,
M.D., president of the Foundation.
“The
Consortium Web site offers a wealth of information
and resource tools to College members as well as asthma camp
directors, camp staff and the public – particularly parents of
children with asthma. The Consortium’s online national Camp
Directory includes a cross-section of camps. All camps are
invited to register, including those affiliated with
universities, hospitals, lay organizations and even private
organizations,” Dr. Bardana said.
Children participate in a variety of asthma camp settings –
day camps, week-long outdoor camps, school-based programs –
and learn methods for living with asthma that work best for
them. The Consortium is committed to developing creative ways
to link the asthma camp experience to a year-round program
effort.
“The ACAAI Foundation funding will support Web site
enhancements and continued research through the new Universal
Health History Form (UHH) that evaluates the impact of camps
on children with asthma in terms of asthma management and
control, function status, and quality of life,” Dr. Bardana
said.
The Consortium on Children’s Asthma Camps was founded in 1988
by six sponsoring organizations including the College, which
has increased its financial support. The College's
representatives on its Board of Directors are Sherwin A.
Gillman, M.D., Mario Cruz-Rivera, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Margaret
F. Guill, M.D. Dr. Gillman also chairs the ACAAI Ad Hoc
Committee to Advise Asthma Camps.
Allergy Practice Tip: Smart
Scheduling
Advice from The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice
Save patients a phone call and improve compliance by
scheduling follow-up appointments – even six months or a year
out – before the patient leaves the office. Too often, staff
members tell patients to call in later to schedule their next
appointment. That makes for lots of phone calls and lots of
appointments that never get scheduled. Of course, be sure to
get appointment reminders to these patients to prevent
no-shows. They are unlikely to remember the appointment six
months from now.
These tips are drawn from The Patient-Centered Allergy
Practice, a CME Series in Practice Management, endorsed by
the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
For more advice on scheduling, visit
www.PatientCenteredAllergyPractice.com |
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Welcome to the Board Review Corner prepared by Thao Ngoc Tran,
M.D., a representative of ACAAI’s fellows-in-training (FITs) to
the Board of Regents. The Board Review Corner is your chance to
test your Board preparedness.
To refer to a previous Board Review Corner, click the “Archive”
link in the left column.
Immunology Review Corner: Chapter 40 of the 6th edition
of Middleton’s Allergy Principles and Practice, edited by
N. Franklin Adkinson, et al. Review questions were written by
fellows-in-training Drs. Thao Tran and Karla Lowe.
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