ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is an increasing demand for specialist public allergy services across Ireland. Little data exist on the patterns of allergic disease in Irish adults. The limited resources available require innovative strategies to ensure quality care delivery. AIMS: This study aimed to review the types of allergy referrals and diagnostic outcomes at a major Irish centre, and to establish an efficient method of communication with non-specialist practitioners. METHODS: Demographic data, referral characteristics and diagnostic outcomes from one hundred consecutive new allergy referrals were identified. Additionally, communications to a pilot email service were reviewed over a 12-month period and user satisfaction assessed. RESULTS: Requests for the investigation of food allergy accounted for 71% of referrals. Despite this, the main diagnostic outcome in this cohort was a non-allergic condition, chronic spontaneous urticaria (56%). immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy was definitively diagnosed in only 9% of patients, with the majority of these presenting with anaphylaxis. The allergy advice email service received 43 requests for assistance over 12 months, mainly for help in the interpretation of an allergy clinical history. Feedback on the email service was universally positive. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients in this cohort did not have IgE-mediated allergic disease. Increased awareness of the features that differentiate allergy from non-allergic conditions such as food intolerance or chronic spontaneous urticaria is required. The allergy advice email service should be developed further to play a key role in education and care delivery in partnership primary care.
Subject(s)
Food Hypersensitivity/epidemiology , Hypersensitivity/epidemiology , Referral and Consultation/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Chronic Disease , Data Collection , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin E/immunology , Ireland/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Primary Health Care , Urticaria/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
This report summarizes the establishment of the first national online registry of primary immune deficency in the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom Primary Immunodeficiency (UKPID Registry). This UKPID Registry is based on the European Society for Immune Deficiency (ESID) registry platform, hosted on servers at the Royal Free site of University College, London. It is accessible to users through the website of the United Kingdom Primary Immunodeficiency Network (www.ukpin.org.uk). Twenty-seven centres in the United Kingdom are actively contributing data, with an additional nine centres completing their ethical and governance approvals to participate. This indicates that 36 of 38 (95%) of recognized centres in the United Kingdom have engaged with this project. To date, 2229 patients have been enrolled, with a notable increasing rate of recruitment in the past 12 months. Data are presented on the range of diagnoses recorded, estimated minimum disease prevalence, geographical distribution of patients across the United Kingdom, age at presentation, diagnostic delay, treatment modalities used and evidence of their monitoring and effectiveness.
