ATOPY

Course overview

ATOPY IS A PREDISPOSITION TO AN IMMUNE RESPONSE AGAINST DIVERSE ANTIGENS AND ALLERGENS LEADING TO CD4+ TH2 DIFFERENTIATION AND OVERPRODUCTION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN E (IGE). THE CLINICAL CONSEQUENCE IS AN INCREASED PROPENSITY TO HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS. ALLERGIC BRONCHIAL ASTHMA AND ALLERGIC RHINITIS ARE THE MOST FREQUENT MANIFESTATIONS OF ATOPY, FOLLOWED BY ATOPIC DERMATITIS AND FOOD ALLERGY. OTHER DISEASES DESCRIBED AS ATOPIC INCLUDE ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS, IGE-MEDIATED DRUG ALLERGY, URTICARIA AND ANGIOEDEMA, AND ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH THE MOST COMMON MANIFESTATIONS OF ATOPY AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN IMPROVING CARE FOR THESE PATIENTS.