New Nomenclature and Clinical Aspects of Allergic Diseases

The incidence of allergic diseases has been increasing in all industrialized countries ever since 1819 when Dr. John Bostock in London reported about his own hay fever. Today the prevalence is in the order of 30%. Allergic reactions can occur in all age groups and in many different organs. Increased knowledge of these diseases and their mechanisms has improved patient care. However, the understanding of allergy and the nomenclature used to describe allergy and allergy-like reactions over the years has been confusing. In order to facilitate the cooperation and communication between scientists, allergy specialists, primary care doctors, and patients it is essential that we all use one and the same terminology. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) realized the importance of an unambiguous use of terms and in the late 1990s established a committee to work with this issue. The group’s task was to propose a revised nomenclature for allergic and other related reactions. It should be possible to use regardless of type of allergic disease or organ involved and lead to a better understanding and better communication. After a period of interesting discussions the group formulated its proposal, which was published as an official EAACI Position Statement in Allergy in September 2001 [1]. The EAACI proposal was widely recognized and so far has been published, in its entirety or in summary, in more than ten different languages. The Position Statement has received a high impact factor ranking. On the EAACI’s website a glossary of the most important terms in 24 languages is available. In order to facilitate the global application of the revised nomenclature the World Allergy Organization (WAO) in 2002 created a Nomenclature Review Committee, with the task to update the EAACI proposal and, if necessary, suggest revisions