Passionate about Allergy and Rhinology!

June 2011

During the annual EAACI Congress in Istanbul, the newly elected board of the ENT Section of the EAACI was presented during the ENT business meeting: Peter Hellings (chair), Cemal Cingi (secretary), Elina Toskala, Felicia Manole, Zeljka Roje, Carmen Rondon, Valerie Hox (JMA representative), and Michael Rudenko (webmaster). Livije Kalogjera was warmly acknowledged for all his hard work for the ENT Section as secretary and chair during the last four years.

Due to the dynamism of researchers in the ENT field, the high standard of EAACI events, and the attraction of joining the ENT Section for Juniors in the field, membership in the ENT Section rises steadily, with one third of our members being JMAs. The input of the ENT Section in the scientific achievements of the EAACI grows steadily year by year. At the Istanbul Congress, several symposia provided participants with the latest developments in the field of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, nasal polyps, and global airway disease. The symposia were supplemented with post-graduate courses, workshops, and oral abstract sessions.

The ENT Section is active in research with the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA²LEN), which is a consortium of leading European research centres specialising in allergic diseases. The newest epidemiological results achieved in Europe from the GA²LEN survey and pan-European sinusitis cohort studies were presented in Istanbul. The results of epidemiological studies clearly demonstrate that co-morbidity of inflammatory disease between upper and lower airways has impact on the severity of symptoms and further collaboration between ENT specialists and chest physicians is strongly indicated for better understanding of this important interaction process.

The ENT Section has been also active in the creation of EAACI Task Force documents, such as EPOS, the European Position Paper on rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps, which was published first in 2005, was revised in 2007, and is now being prepared for revision in autumn 2011, with publication aimed for 2012. This document offers evidence-based approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps and is available free on its own website www.ep3os.org. Another Task Force document, Diagnostic Tools in Rhinology, has been finalised and published online in the first issue of Clinical & Translational Allergy. The ENT Section is also involved in joint Task Forces with the Pediatric and Asthma Sections of the EAACI. As our ENT Section disseminates its activities even further afield, new EAACI ENT members, including JMAs, are very welcome.

Peter Hellings, Chair of ENT Section
Livije Kalogjera, Past Chair of ENT Section
Cemal Cingi, Secretary of ENT Section

From the EAACI bylaws

The Sections should encourage membership of the EAACI from their areas of expertise, relate to European and national societies in their relevant areas, promote an understanding of the importance of allergy within those societies, advise the EU on matters of policy within their relevant areas, advise the SPC on the  development of programmes, promote Europe-wide co-operation in scientific and clinical research, and suggest task forces and scientific sessions within their areas.

The ENT Section aim to:

• promote understanding of the aetiology and mechanisms of rhinitis and rhinosinusitis and other co-morbidities related to allergic rhinitis
• encourage the adequate management of upper respiratory allergies
• encourage the development of safe and effective therapeutic strategies
• disseminate the most up-to-date information regarding patient care
• to promote the institution of basic standards for the management of patients 
  with upper respiratory allergies, relying on evidence-based strategies

ENT Board 2011-2013

Chairperson
Peter W. Hellings
Belgium
peter.hellings@med.kuleuven.ac.be

Secretary
Cemal Cingi
Turkey
cemal@cemalcingi.com

Members
Carmen Rondon
carmenrs61@gmail.com

Felicia Manole
felimanole@yahoo.com

Zeljka Roje
zroje@kbsplit.hr

Elina Toskala
ToskalaE@email.chop.edu

Gianni Passalacqua
passalacqua@unige.it

JMA representative
Valerie Hox

Webmaster
Michael Rudenko

Information about ENT conferences and meetings

Please address any comments and suggestions to the webmaster: mrudenko@interasma.org