Revised terminology for allergies and related conditions

• The European Acadamy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology has proposed a revised terminology for allergic and allergy-related reactions that can be used independently of target organ or patient age group.

• The proposed terminology is based on the present knowledge of the mechanism which initiate and mediate allergic reactions.

• "Hypersensitivity" is an umbrella term, "allergy" involves a hypersensitivity reaction which is initiated by an immunological mechanism, and "atopy"is an individual of familial tendency to produce IgE antibodies in response to low doses of allergens, and is accompanied by the typical symptoms or astma, rhino-conjunctivitis or eczema/dermatitis.

• Each condition should be categorised as "allergic/non-allergic" and the allergic conditions should be further categorised as "IgE-mediated / non IgE-mediated" (sometimes: IgE-associated").

• Terms which are no longer in use include: 

  • idiosyncrasy this will now become: Hypersensitivity

  • extrinsic, intrinsic, endogenous and exogenous asthma will become: allergic (possibly IgE-mediated) and non-allergic asthma

  • atopic eczema will become: atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome

  • intrinsic and cryptogenic variants of eczema will become: non-allergic atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome

  • food intolerance will become: non-allergic food hypersensitivity and

  • anaphylactoid reaction will become: non-allergic anaphylaxis.