Health and Allergic Diseases
摘要
Allergic diseases, including asthma, atopic dermatitis, and food allergy, represent some of the most common chronic diseases in the pediatric population, and also have well-documented associations with quality of life and mental health comorbidities. The optimal treatment of allergic conditions often requires behavioral health specialists, and this collaboration is central to the health and well-being of children everywhere. The greatest impact that behavioral intervention has in allergy practice is managing procedural anxiety. Of particular importance to allergy practice are needle injections, which are required for subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) as well as many new biologic medications that have proven highly effective at managing complex allergic conditions. Other applications of integrated behavioral health in allergy practice involve management of anxiety related to food allergy and other complex food-associated behaviors, especially with the recent rise in allergy practices offering oral immunotherapy (OIT). Access to behavioral health resources in the community has improved with telehealth and related technologies after the COVID-19 pandemic, but requires more education and investment. Newer allergy treatments and medications on the horizon hold promise for improving procedural anxiety and being more child-friendly, but still face challenges from regulatory agencies, insurance companies, and manufacturers. More research is needed to help optimize these newer allergy treatments in the pediatric population.