The prevalence of allergic diseases has increased dramatically in recent years in China, affecting the quality of life in 40% of the population. The identification of allergens is the key to the diagnosis of allergic diseases. Presently, several methods of allergy diagnostics are available in China, but they have not been standardized. Additionally, cross-sensitization and co-sensitization make allergy diagnostics even more complicated. Based on 4 aspects of allergic disease (mechanism, diagnosis procedures, allergen detection in vivo and in vitro as well as the distribution map of the most important airborne allergens in China) and by referring to the consensus of the European Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the World Allergy Organization, and the important literature on allergy diagnostics in China in recent years, we drafted this consensus of allergy diagnostics with Chinese characteristics. It

Global warming is a public health emergency. Substantial scientific evidence indicates an unequivocal rising trend in global surface temperature that has caused higher atmospheric levels of moisture retention leading to more frequent extreme weather conditions, shrinking ice volume, and gradually rising sea levels. The concomitant rise in the prevalence of allergic diseases is closely related to these environmental changes because warm and moist environments favour the proliferation of common allergens such as pollens, dust mites, molds, and fungi. Global warming also stresses ecosystems, further accelerating critical biodiversity loss. Excessive carbon dioxide, together with the warming of seawater, promotes ocean acidification and oxygen depletion. This results in a progressive decline of phytoplankton and fish growth that in turn promotes the formation of larger oceanic dead zones, disrupting the food chain and biodiversity. Poor environmental biodiversity and a reduction in the microbiome spectrum are risk factors for allergic diseases in human populations. While climate change and the existence of an allergy epidemic are closely linked according to robust international research, efforts to mitigate these have encountered strong resistance because of vested economic and political concerns in different countries. International collaboration to establish legally binding regulations should be mandatory for forest protection and energy saving. Lifestyle and behavioural changes should also be advocated at the individual level by focusing on low carbon living; avoiding food wastage; and implementing the 4Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, and replace principles. These lifestyle measures are entirely consistent with the current recommendations for allergy prevention. Efforts to mitigate climate change, preserve biodiversity, and prevent chronic diseases are interdependent disciplines.

Aim: We investigated sublingual immunotherapy for mite-induced allergic rhinitis and its comorbid allergic conditions. Patients & methods: A prospective case-controlled study of 120 patients (case = 80, control = 40) over 12 months. Results: There was 53.6% reduction in total rhinitis symptom score (p < 0.0001), but not in controls (-7.3%, p = 0.99). The total symptom scores for concurrent asthma decreased from 17.79 to 8.8 (p < 0.0001); for allergic conjunctivitis from 20.89 to 10.0 (p = 0.0002); for atopic dermatitis from 46.40 to 29.38 (p = 0.0004) and 74.6% of patients weaned off nasal topical steroids. The treatment-related adverse reactions were mild and self-limiting. Conclusion: Though sublingual immunotherapy may be more expensive than conventional treatments, it was an adjunctive therapy that improved not only the outcomes for allergic rhinitis, but also its comorbid allergic conditions.

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