Asia Pacific Allergy, the official journal of Asia Pacific Association of Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology (APAAACI), is proud of being one of the media partners of World Allergy Congress (WAC) 2015 in Seoul, Korea, which was very successful congress: great learning, much networking, and friendship in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. APAAACI also successfully held a sister society symposium during WAC 2015: important but neglected issues in allergy. The topics were 'eosinophilic esophagitis, gastroenteritis and colitis', 'angioedema without ur ticaria', and 'important but neglected food allergens: lessons from Asia'. Next year, we will have the most important congress in our region: the Joint Congress of APAAACI and Asia Pacific Association of Pediatric Allergy, Respiratory, and Immunology (APAPARI) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during 18th-20th October, 2016 (http://www.apaaaci-kl2016.org). We are ready to invite participants from all over the world.
International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the global health information standard to capture mortality and morbidity statistics maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO) [1]. ICD 10th edition (ICD-10) is currently used by the majority of countries all around the world except some countries such as the United States and Australia which use the 9th edition [1]. However, the allergic and hypersensitivity conditions are not adequately classified and coded in the ICD-10 [2]. An international collaboration of Allergy Academies including first the World Allergy Organization, the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has been coordinating tremendous efforts since 2013 to provide a better classification of these disorders in the new ICD-11 [1]. APAAACI as well as the Latin American Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology joined the international collaboration for its importance. Tanno et al. [1] describe the journey to make the allergic and hypersensitivity conditions visible in the ICD-11 beta draft and the need of changes in the ICD framework.
Readers of this journal will find the original articles on the treatment adherence and quality of life among adults with chronic urticaria in Singapore [3], and the attitudes, practices on allergic rhinitis of generalists and specialists in Philippine National Capital Region [4]. The readers will also find the first study on the pattern of anaphylaxis in Saudi Arabia [5] and the interleukin-10 and interleukin-5 balance in patients with active asthma, those in remission, and healthy controls from Japan, which showed a similar result from a murine asthma model of immunotherapy [6].
This issue contains an educational case report of serum sickness reaction with skin involvement induced by bee venom injection therapy from Korea [7], and a pilot study on the use of Yin Qiao San in children with conventional antipyretic hypersensitivity from Singapore [8]. Both of the articles are dealing with 'the traditional or complementary medicine and allergy' in our region.
References
1. Tanno LK, Calderon MA, Demoly P. Making allergic and hypersensitivity conditions visible in the International Classification of Diseases-11. Asia Pac Allergy. 2015; 5:193–196.
2. Tanno LK, Ganem F, Demoly P, Toscano CM, Bierrenbach AL. Undernotification of anaphylaxis deaths in Brazil due to difficult coding under the ICD-10. Allergy. 2012; 67:783–789.
3. Heng JK, Koh LJ, Toh MP, Aw DC. A study of treatment adherence and quality of life among adults with chronic urticaria in Singapore. Asia Pac Allergy. 2015; 5:197–202.
4. Navarro-Locsin CG, Romualdez JA. Attitudes, practices on allergic rhinitis of generalists and specialists in Philippine National Capital Region. Asia Pac Allergy. 2015; 5:203–209.
5. Sheikh F, Amin R, Rehan Khaliq AM, Al Otaibi T, Al Hashim S, Al Gazlan S. First study of pattern of anaphylaxis in a large tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia. Asia Pac Allergy. 2015; 5:216–221.
6. Chang YS, Kim YK, Kim SH, Park HW, Min KU, Kim YY, Cho SH. Murine subcutaneous immunotherapy models with beneficial immunological and physiological effects. Asia Pac Allergy. 2013; 3:50–58.