With spring here, the current issue of Annals in Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has a potpourri of topics that focus on traveling with allergic and immunologic disorders as families develop summer plans. Traveling creates many issues ranging from concerns for our food allergic patients to defining what is an allergic reaction and how to handle infections for our primary immunodeficiency patients. This issue can help guide us as allergist/immunologists with some advice for our patients.
Bjelac, et al, in a review, discuss key considerations when traveling with food allergies, including proximity to emergency services and consideration of international language barriers for traveling families. These factors are important, as a letter to the editor from Crealey and colleagues notes that 8% of children have accidental allergic reactions on vacation. But, it is important to understand that not all reactions are allergic. A review by Patel, et al, notes food poisoning can occur on vacation and provides help with differentiating poisoning from an allergic reaction. In another review, Dinulos and Dinulos discuss nonallergic rashes that allergists should be aware of in the care of their allergic patients.
During the summer, the chance of exposure to stinging insects can increase. Golden and Yuan provide an outstanding review to help our Hymenoptera allergic patients. Another favorite travel activity for many is scuba diving. Ledford provides an update on asthma and scuba diving providing insights into the mechanistic issues that make diving more problematic for those with asthma. Traveling is not just an issue for our allergic patients, and Wasserman provides perspective on traveling for our primary immunodeficiency patients. Exposures to ticks, their bites, and developing alpha-gal syndrome is another issue traveling families may face, and an original article by Kersh discuss the risk of tick bite for alpha-gal specific IgE.
This issue also has several key articles on new therapeutics for atopic dermatitis and anaphylaxis. The article by Tanimoto, along with an editorial by Lieberman, review the various treatment approaches for administering epinephrine — from the standard intramuscular route to novel intranasal and sublingual options. Leung discuss the safety and efficacy of ruxolitinib in children and adolescents, expanding its potential use into younger patient populations.
And, as always, if you have any comments, please consider sending a correspondence to Annals (email us at annals@ACAAI.org). We are always excited to hear how Annals has helped you improve the lives of your patients!
Jonathan Spergel, MD, PHD, FACAAI
Deputy Editor
