Press Release (Sunday Reminiscing)

Press release I wrote for Trianon International for ImmunoCAP in 2008. 

Allergic rhinitis prevalent among Pinoys 
Written by Philippine Star 
Friday, 20 June 2008 03:49 

Summer is over but allergic attacks remain a threat among Filipinos. 

Allergic rhinitis is prevalent in Filipinos. Frequent sneezing, runny, clogged or itchy nose, itchy, watery red eyes, and itchy throat are symptoms of allergic rhinitis that cause a lot of discomfort. 

Many Filipinos have perennial allergic rhinitis, caused by pollution, house dust mites, animal dander and molds. This occurs anytime during the year and may even occur with unpredictable degrees of severity. 

Since allergic rhinitis is considered a chronic disease, Dr. Ruby Pawankar of the Nippon Medical School in Japan emphasized the need for more training programs for doctors and public education on allergy prevention and treatment. 

According to allergy experts, one way of controlling rhinitis is to avoid the allergens that trigger rhinitis attacks. The latest approach is through early and accurate diagnosis of allergies. 

An allergy diagnostic procedure called ImmunoCAP IgE (Immunoglobulin E) blood-testing aids in ruling in and ruling out an allergy and in identifying allergic triggers. 

This information is needed to differentiate between infection and allergy as an underlying cause of any disease, and is vital to prevent over- and under-treatment of allergies with antihistamines and antibiotics. 

Local health experts note that many cases of colds and coughs are being treated with various types of antibiotics with no apparent response because they are allergic in nature. 

These cases can be easily detected by the ImmunoCAP test and the patient can be saved from unnecessary expense incurred due to improper treatment. These patients can also be saved from developing antibiotic tolerance due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics. 

ImmunoCAP is the first allergy diagnostic system to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a reliable quantitative test for identifying allergens. 

A recent study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology demonstrated that ImmunoCAP is the standard for accuracy and reliability for quantitative IgE testing. 

ImmunoCAP was developed by Phadia AB, in Uppsala, Sweden, the world leader in in-vitro IgE diagnostic research and product development. 

This advanced technology for allergy diagnosis is now available in Philippine hospitals and laboratories. In Metro Manila, this latest innovation is available in the following hospitals: Medical City, Makati Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital, National Kidney Institute, Philippine General Hospital, Fe del Mundo Medical Center, Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center and Clinica Manila. People living outside Metro Manila can visit these sites for the allergy test: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Medical Center (Pampanga), St. Patrick’s Hospital Medical Center (Batangas), Laguna Health Services Coop Lab (Laguna), Wellcare Clinics & Lab. Inc., (Cavite and Laguna), and Our Lady of Mercy Diagnostic Center (Davao City). 

The Philippines has the highest prevalence rates of common allergies such as rhinitis and asthma, topping other neighboring Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea. 

In the International Study of Allergy and Asthma in Children (ISAAC) involving 38 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific, it was reported that Filipino teens aged 13-14 had one of the highest incidence rates for allergic diseases. Allergic rhinitis was found in 32.5 percent of teens in this age bracket. 

These findings are contained in the latest report released to the Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (PSAAI) by the World Allergy Organization (WAO). 

Allergic rhinitis is serious and debilitating. According to Prof. Ralph Mösges of the Institute of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology of the University of Cologne in Germany, allergic rhinitis is a major chronic respiratory disease due to its prevalence, impact on quality of life, impact on work/school performance and productivity, economic burden, and its links with asthma. 

A study published by Dr. Pawankar in the medical journal Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology concluded that patients with allergic rhinitis have three times greater chance of developing asthma in their later years and observed that the development of asthma is often preceded by rhinitis. 

For more information or other inquiries on allergy testing and ImmunoCAP, call the Trianon hotline at 815-3239 or visit www.phadia.com. 

source: Phuilippine Star 
http://philstar.com/index.php?Science%20and%20Technology&p=49&type=2&sec=36&aid=2008061853