Management of the patient with allergic and immunological disorders in the pandemic COVID-19 era

Abstract

The pandemic COVID-19 abruptly exploded, taking most health professionals around the world unprepared. Italy, the first European country to be hit violently, was forced to activate the lockdown in mid-February 2020. At the time of the spread, a high number of victims were quickly registered, especially in the regions of Northern Italy which have a high rate of highly-polluting production activities. The need to hospitalize the large number of patients with severe forms of COVID-19 led the National Health System to move a large number of specialists from their disciplines to the emergency hospital departments for the treatment of COVID-19. Furthermore, the lockdown itself has limited the possibility for general practitioners and pediatricians to be able to make outpatient visits and/or home care for patients with chronic diseases. Among them, the patient with atopic diseases, such as asthma, rhinitis and atopic dermatitis, is worthy of particular attention as she/he is immersed in a studded negative scenario with the onset of spring, a factor that should not be underestimated for those who suffer from pollen allergy. The Italian Society of Asthma Allergology and Clinical Immunology, to quickly deal with the lack of references and specialist medical procedures, has produced a series of indications for immunologic patient care that are reported in this paper, and can be used as guidelines by specialists of our discipline.

Home administration of biological treatment in severe asthma in real-life experience: impact on asthma control and quality of life

“…Additionally, understanding the individual preferences and concerns regarding self-administration at home may also improve adherence to therapy and well-being of the patient (21). These results corroborated previous results (12,22), that reported self-administration can be a useful tool to maintain adherence to biological therapies. This is notable as it is well recognized that adherence to asthma inhaled therapy tends to be very poor, with the reported rates of nonadherence ranging from 30 to 70% (23).…”

A Survey Among Italian Physicians During COVID-19 Outbreak. Could Bacillus Calmette–Guérin Vaccine Be Effective Against SARS-CoV2?

“…According to the various physicians’ categories, the most exposed to the contagion were those working in critical care (intensive care and emergency department) and internal medicine hospital. These data confirm the absolute need for protective tools in the most exposed categories ( Houghton et al, 2020 ; Patella et al, 2020b ) and the need for weighted choices in diagnostics and preventive medicine to control the infection spread among health care workers.…”

Allergic patients during the COVID‐19 pandemic—Clinical practical considerations: An European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology survey

“…Accordingly, guidelines for allergic conditions were adapted, and a series of international expert panel/consensus documents had developed. [13][14][15][16] The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) has promptly released quality information and elaborated position papers and clinical recommendations for allergic disease care. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Implementing remote care was one of the most relevant recommendations proposed by international societies 14,20,25 to assess disease control, promote patients' compliance, oversee selfadministration of biologics, and provide patient education.…”