Allergies plague millions worldwide and appear to be rising. As the number of allergy sufferers increases, so too does knowledge about the connection between allergies and asthma, a link involving triggers that set off events in the immune system.
Give the global problem of allergies, the World Allergy Organization exists as a global federation for allergy, asthma and clinical immunology. It acts as a global resource and advocate in the field of allergy, advancing excellence in clinical care through education, research and training as a world-wide alliance of allergy and clinical immunology societies.
Allergy Relief Focus of Multi-University Research Programs
Many universities band together to attack the problems of allergies and asthma. For example, a research center at Kings College London and Imperial College London in the United Kingdom brings together researchers to move from discovery to new treatments.
The MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma opened in 2005, at a time when the number of allergy sufferers in the UK rose three times in just two decades. It was formed with the knowledge that one in three people develop allergy during their life.
The UK has the highest levels in Europe of asthma in young people, and 17 million working days are lost to the condition every year. This Centre receives funding to investigate the link between pollution and asthma.
In the United States, where more than 12 million Americans suffer from some type of food allergy, according to the Centers for Disease Control, food allergies have increased almost 20% over the past decade.
Seasonal and Food Allergies Under University Study
At the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute studies food allergy disorder, provide care for patients, educational programs and training for health professionals.
Researchers at the Jaffe Institute try to understand why food allergy is increasing, and to determine better methods to diagnose, treat, and hopefully prevent these disorders.
At Duke University Medical Center, the Duke Food Allergy Initiative works to provide family-centered patient care for food allergy. Duke professionals work to educate community physicians, allied health professionals, and the public.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Medicine Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology Training Program is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. This program has produced internationally recognized authorities in areas spanning a wide range of allergy research and treatment.? Its clinical training has a global reputation of excellence.
Universities worldwide are places where researchers come together to study the increasing problems of allergies, all aimed at improving our knowledge of the causes and finding relief.
Shelley Aylesworth-Spink - Shelley Aylesworth-Spink has worked in support of communications, marketing and advertising for nearly 25 years in the private and public ...
