August has arrived, and the heat index is high just about everywhere in the northern hemisphere. That is also true of the August issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology which contains some hot articles on a variety of topics that will inform and hopefully guide the practicing allergist/immunologist towards improved patient care. This month’s emphasis is eosinophilic esophagitis and we have multiple manuscripts that are focused in this area. I would like to call your attention to two in particular.
The first is a review of eosinophil biology by Bruce Bochner, MD, FACAAI, from Chicago, who presents an elegant overview of how eosinophils function in health and disease. Allergy/immunology specialists are consulted more than hematologists for evaluation of eosinophilia, and this paper provides a scholarly approach to assessment and principles of therapy. It is a must read for all who see patients with eosinophilia.
Another review in this month’s issue is by Quan Nhu, MD, PhD and Seema Aceves, MD, PhD, from San Diego, who tackled the task of cataloging and describing the approaches to therapy of eosinophilic esophagitis from a medical and dietary approach. They review the major medical approach to therapy (mostly steroid-based), and the principals associated with attempts at dietary management. They provide the literature-based evidence that there is a distinction between short and long-term management goals, and that current therapies are not necessarily the optimal ones for many patients because of variations in their disease. This paper will provide great insight into the clinical dilemma often faced by these patients and their providers.
As always, we hope you find these and other articles in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology to be of use to you in your practice. Please let us know how we are doing in our attempts to meet this need.
Gailen D. Marshall, Jr., MD PhD, FACAAI
Editor-in-chief
