MILAN, June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Europe's foremost scientific allergy authority, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), has just published the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Guidelines, the first comprehensive clinical guide for the prevention and treatment of food allergies and severe, even potentially fatal, allergic reactions.

EAACI presented the guidelines today in Milan at the World Allergy Congress, attended by 8,000 delegates. The guidelines offer practical recommendations not only for doctors and patients, but also for schools, communities, regulators, the food industry, and insurance companies.

EAACI research reveals that over 17 million Europeans, and one in four school children, suffer from food allergies. The traditional perception of food allergy as a nuisance-itchy hives, a runny nose, or diarrhea-is altered, raising it to a higher level of scientific understanding and classification. The evidence collected by EAACI task forces shows that hospital admissions for anaphylaxis (severe, often lethal allergic reaction) have risen seven-fold in the past 10 years.

    ESTIMATED OCCURENCES OF FOOD ALLERGIES IN EU COUNTRIES
                                                           Population        Food
                                                                  (in     Allergy
    EU Countries                                             millons)   Occurence
                                                                             1,6%
    Denmark                                                       5,4    (86.000)
                                                                               2%
    UK                                                           60,9 (1.200.000)
                                                                               2%
    Greece                                                         11   (220.000)
                                                                             2,5%
    Poland                                                       38,2   (950.000)
                                                                             2,5%
    Netherlands                                                  16,3   (407.000)
                                                                               3%
    Spain                                                        44,5 (1.330.000)
                                                                               3%
    Switzerland                                                   7,5   (225.000)
                                                                            3,5 %
    Italia                                                       60,3 (2.100.000)
                                                                            3,5 %
    Germany                                                      82,6 (2.900.000)
                                                                            3,5 %
    France                                                       63,2 (2.200.000)

Despite these numbers, until now, evidence-based, clinical guidelines for everyday use have been nonexistent in Europe.

Antonella Muraro MD, EAACI Secretary General Elect and Head of the Food Allergy Referral Center at Padua General University Hospital in Veneto, organized the international group of experts who published the guidelines.

Prof. Muraro said: "Doctors, patients, parents, schools, society, government, and industry must work together to find solutions to the growing allergic threat. That is why we created the first official guidelines with best practices for diagnosing and treating food allergies. We stress that all of the interconnected issues must be addressed: quality of life, patient education, diagnostic and therapeutic methods, food manufacturing, medical reimbursement and policy making."

EAACI President, Professor Cezmi Akdis said: "Food allergies are rising sharply. As our lifestyle changes, more and more food allergies are forecast not only for industrialized nations, but also for developing countries. Children are suffering more than anyone, and I am very confident that the EAACI can contribute to the prevention of food allergies in children by developing these guidelines."

About EAACI

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, EAACI, is a non-profit organization active in the field of allergic and immunologic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis, eczema, occupational allergy, food and drug allergy and anaphylaxis. EAACI was founded in 1956 in Florence and has become the largest medical association in Europe in the field of allergy and clinical immunology. It includes over 7,800 members from 121 countries, as well as 42 National Allergy Societies. http://www.eaaci.org

For more information, please contact:
EAACI Headquarters
Nick Winn/ Macarena Guillamón
nick.winn@eaaci.org
macarena.guillamon@eaaci.org
Tel: +41-44-205-55-32
Mobile: +41-79 892-82-25

Maria Diviney
Shepard Fox Communications
Telephone        +33-98-220-3697
Mobile             +33-66-620-6462
maria.diviney@shepard-fox.com
http://www.shepard-fox.com

Alberto Pattono
Shepard Fox Communications
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Mobile             +39-339-3354938
alberto.pattono@shepard-fox.com
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SOURCE European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)