Allergy in Russia today: problems and solutions

Abstract

The prevalence and severity of allergic diseases are dramatically increasing worldwide. In Russia, similar alarming trends are exacerbated by several problems in organizing the work of the allergic care service. For example, the number of patients with various allergopathologies still has no accurate data; in vitro diagnostics have serious difficulties; the issues of medical and instrumental support remain critical, including the habitual defect of some medicines; the percentage of prescribing allergen-specific immunotherapy remains low due to the inaccessibility and high cost of treatment; pollen and environmental monitoring is not conducted in all regions of Russia. These key issues are in constant focus of attention of the Russian Association of Allergologists and Clinical Immunologists (RAAKI), which is the leading scientific and professional organization in the field of allergology and clinical immunology in Russia.
 The RAAKI is consistently implementing steps that enable knowledge accumulation and dissemination about allergology and immunology in the medical community, thereby harmonizing the interaction between fundamental science and clinical practice and optimizing patient treatment, including medical specialist training in regular schools on drug allergies, allergen-specific immunotherapy, hereditary angioedema, and other topics; developing clinical guidelines for major allergic diseases and related standards of care; regularly publishing guidelines and recommendations on various aspects of allergopathology for both doctors and patients, as well as the Russian Allergological Journal; holding the largest events in this area, including the Annual International Congress on Allergology and Clinical Immunology and the Andrey Dmitrievich Ado Prize of the Russian Allergological Journal; constantly working on the contact with the Ministry of Health, Rospotrebnadzor, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia.
 The allergy epidemic in Russia can only become predictable and manageable under the condition of a comprehensive progressive solution to the above problems by all participants in this area.