Davos Declaration: Allergy as a global problem

Allergy and allergic diseases represent a major health problem not only in industrialized ‘modern’ societies, but worldwide. There has been an epidemic increase in prevalence of allergic diseases in the last few decades with 10–30% of the population affected. Apart from individual suffering, because of their life-threatening or chronic course, these diseases present a high socioeconomic burden. In many countries, patient care of affected individuals is insufficient and/or inadequate. In spite of great progress in research into the causes and treatment of allergy in the last decades, there are still many problems to be solved in moving to reach our goals of more effective therapies and eventual prevention (1–3). Therefore, a group of 40 scientists and clinicians from four continents and all fields of allergy and related disciplines gathered under the sponsorship of the Christine-Kühne Center of Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE) in Davos, Switzerland from 17 to 20 July 2011 for the first ‘Global Allergy Forum’. Under the topic ‘Allergy and Allergic Diseases: Barriers to Cure’, the participants formed five working groups to discuss and define the most urgent problems in the field and seek solutions and recommend an action plan. There are numerous unmet clinical needs and millions of patients are undertreated or not treated with the most appropriate methods. Accessibility to and affordability of effective therapeutic regimens are not provided in many countries. The development of innovative therapies is slow compared to most other fields of medicine. Allergic diseases encompass broad fields of medicine and show a wide heterogeneity involving different organs such as eyes, respiratory tract, gut, and skin. Diseases include rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma, anaphylaxis, eczema, urticaria, and angioedema as well as drug and food allergies. Allergic diseases show variability in severity and clinical course which at the moment are only poorly defined. Much better definition of the subtypes of allergic patients (phenotyping) appears crucial and very much needed to address the right therapy to the right patient. A new integrative approach is needed to understand how a complex network of immunological, genetic, and environmental factors leads to a complex allergic phenotype (1). Action should be taken at various levels and through existing doctors, scientists, and lay organizations to solve these problems. The global expertise from clinical allergists, immunologists, microbiologists, biologists, nutritionists, epidemiologists, bio-informaticians, psychologists, and environmental researchers should be merged to develop focused transdisciplinary research strategies toward sustainable preventive programs and new therapeutic options. J. Ring: Christine Kühne-Center of Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), Department Dermatology and Allergy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich, Germany C. Akdis: Christine Kühne-Center of Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), Davos, Switzerland H. Behrendt: Christine Kühne-Center of Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), ZAUM – Zentrum Allergie und Umwelt (Center for Allergy and Environment), Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich, Germany R.-P. Lauener: Christine Kühne-Center of Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), Children's Allergy & Asthma Hospital, Hochgebirgsklinik Davos, Davos, Switzerland; Zurich University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland G. Schäppi: Christine Kühne-Center of Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), Davos, Switzerland M. Akdis: Immunodermatology, Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), Davos, Switzerland W. Ammann: Global Risk Forum GRF Davos, Davos, Switzerland O. de Beaumont: Stallergenes S.A., Antony, France T. Bieber: Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie University, Bonn, Germany J. Bienenstock: Departments of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Brain-Body Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada K. Blaser: Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), Davos, Switzerland B. Bochner: Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA J. Bousquet: Service des Maladies Respiratoires, Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve, Montpellier, France R. Crameri: Molecular Allergology, Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland A. Custovic: Respiratory Research Group, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom C. Czerkinsky: International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea U. Darsow, M. Ollert, C. Traidl-Hoffmann: Department Dermatology and Allergy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich, Germany J. Denburg: Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada J. Drazen: New England Journal of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA E.-M. de Villiers: Abteilung Tumorvirus-Charakterisierung, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany A. Fire: Departments of Pathology and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA S. Galli: Department of Pathology and Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA T. Haahtela: Department of Allergy, Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland H. zur Hausen: Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany S. Hildemann: Global Clinical Operations Europe-I, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, Merck & Co., Merck, Darmstadt, Germany S. Holgate: III Division, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, United Kingdom P. Holt: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and Centre for child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia T. Jakob: Allergy Research Group, Dept. of Dermatology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany A. Jung, G. Menz: Hochgebirgsklinik Davos, Davos, Switzerland M. Kemeny: Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, China H. Koren: Environmental Health, LLC, Durham, North Carolina, USA D. Leung: Pediatric Allergy-Immunology, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado, USA R. Lockey: Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA G. Marone: Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy M. Mempel: Department of Dermatology, Venereology und Allergy, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany B. Menné: Global Change and Health, World Health Organization, Rome, Italy U. Mueller: Allergiestation Medizinische Klinik, Spital Netz Bern, Zieglerspital, Bern, Switzerland E. von Mutius: Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Munich, Germany L. O'Mahony: Molecular Immunology, Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), Davos, Switzerland R. Pawankar: Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan H. Renz: Abteilung für Klinische Chemie und Zentrallaboratorium, Marburg, Germany T. Platts-Mills: Department of Medicine, Allergy & Immunology, Asthma & Allergy Disease Center, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA C. Roduit: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, University Children's Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland C. Schmidt-Weber: ZAUM – Zentrum Allergie und Umwelt (Center of Allergy and Environment), Technische Universität and Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany U. Wahn: Klinik für Pädiatrie, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany E. Rietschel: Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Berlin, Germany

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