November has arrived, the elections have passed, fall is in full swing, and so is the respiratory viral season. This issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is focused on COVID-19 and its long-term effects. (This may serve as a subliminal PSA to get the new COVID vaccine if you have not, as well as the seasonal influenza vaccine!)
Reviews this month deal with long COVID – also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, or PASC. The CME review explores what is known about PASC and the potential mechanisms that lead to this troubling disease. Another review details how to diagnose and manage patients with PASC, and our third review explores the specific conditions of brain fog and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in PASC. An interesting editorial discusses the experience of taking care of children with PASC and co-morbid chronic health conditions at National Jewish Health. Together, these three reviews and accompanying editorial will bring you up to date on PASC and allow you to diagnose and manage your patients suffering from this debilitating consequence of COVID-19.
The Marginal Zone this month will leave you with a chuckle at the conversation between a (Trojan?) T cell and SARS-Cov-2 virion. Who knew they spoke English?
This month we reveal the winners of the annual ACAAI Annals Fellow-in-Training award. In addition to reading the editorial, I encourage you to look up the articles from the winners. I think you will agree with me that the future of research in allergy and immunology is bright.
The Master Clinician Series returns this month with an article on Dr. Jonathan Spergel, deputy editor of Annals, on how he treats eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Included in this article (and every Master Clinician Series article) is a wonderful decision tree that you can use at the point of care when evaluating your patients with EoE.
Original articles in November will provide novel insight into the use of once-daily fluticasone furoate with vilanterol for asthma treatment in 5 to 17-year-old subjects, as well as the impact of cat ownership on asthma in Puerto Rican youth. Other articles explore predicting outcomes of nasal surgery in non-eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, age effects on inducible laryngeal obstruction, availability of allergen-friendly food on college campuses, and outcomes associated with pre-hospital epinephrine use.
Letters this month include studies looking at the impact of cannabinoid use in hospitalized patients, the use of boiled peanut oral immunotherapy, a case series of continuous epinephrine infusion during oral food challenges, and the use of complementary and alternative medicine in academic allergy clinics.
As always, Annals provides you with a wealth of information so you will be fully informed and able to give your patients the most up-to-date care. If you have any comments (including telling us how the articles in the journal have influenced your practice), please email us at Annals@ACAAI.org. Annals is always excited to hear how the journal has helped you improve the lives of your patients!
Mitchell H. Grayson, MD, FACAAI
Editor-in-Chief
