Allergic Diseases and Patient Safety: Bridging a Critical Gap in Clinical Care

Document Type : Editorial

Author

Professor of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

10.22038/psj.2025.90852.1485

Abstract

Allergic disorders—ranging from asthma and allergic rhinitis to atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and drug hypersensitivity—affect nearly one-third of the world’s population (1,2). Over the past decades, their prevalence has risen steadily, especially in urbanized societies. While the public health and economic implications of these conditions are well known, their significance as a patient safety issue is less frequently emphasized. In daily clinical practice, I have witnessed how allergic reactions, particularly anaphylaxis, can emerge abruptly and turn into life-threatening emergencies. Many such events are avoidable if appropriate preventive strategies are in place (3). Addressing allergies through a patient safety lens is, therefore, both a medical and ethical necessity.

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References

  1. Pawankar R, Canonica GW, Holgate ST, Lockey RF, Blaiss MS. World Allergy Organization (WAO) White Book on Allergy. Milwaukee: WAO; 2013.
  2. Asher MI, et al. Worldwide trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood. Lancet. 2006;368(9537):733–743.
  3. Simons FE, Ardusso LR, Bilo MB, et al. World Allergy Organization guidelines for the assessment and management of anaphylaxis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011;127(3):587–593.e22.
  4. Johansson SG, Bieber T, Dahl R, Friedmann PS, Lanier BQ, Lockey RF, et al. Revised nomenclature for allergy for global use: Report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the WAO. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004;113(5):832–836.
  5. Global Initiative for Asthma. GINA Main Report 2024. Available from: https:// ginasthma.org
Journal of Patient Safety & Quality Improvement
Volume 13, Issue 3
July 2025
Pages 151-152

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