Background: In recent years, new technologies have been developed and validated to standardize skin prick tests. In the meantime, challenges posed by the lack of test allergens and the lack of trained personnel have increased. Novel technologies could counteract these challenges, but their potential acceptance is currently unknown. The current survey, conducted by the German Association of Allergists (AeDA), aimed to evaluate the current practice of allergy diagnostics in Germany. Methods: Members of the AeDA were asked to complete an online questionnaire to obtain information on their evaluation of allergy testing. Results: 150 practicing allergists from various specialties completed the questionnaire. The survey revealed that twice as many skin prick tests (SPTs) (21.2 tests/week) are performed as specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E antibody tests (10.4 tests/week). Nasal allergen challenge tests are performed in 56.0% of hospitals and medical practices. An individual standard allergen panel for the SPT is used by 78.0% of allergists. The methods for evaluating the SPT vary, with the measurement of the longest wheal diameter being used most frequently (68.0%), followed by a qualitative assessment (46.6%) or the longest wheal diameter including pseudopodia (34.4%). 66% of allergists stated that a device that automates the SPT process could be useful for use in clinical practice. Conclusion: SPTs and the determination of allergen-specific IgE antibodies are the cornerstones of the diagnosis of immediate-type allergies. There are differences in the performance of SPTs between different hospitals and medical practices in Germany. The decreasing availability of test allergens is considered to be particularly problematic for maintaining allergy diagnostics in Germany. The majority of allergists are open to evaluating devices that can contribute to the standardization of SPTs.

Hintergrund: Nahrungsmittel sind Auslöser allergischer Reaktionen, deren Symptomatik von leicht bis hin zu letaler Anaphylaxie reicht. Über die Qualität der Versorgung dieser Patienten in der Routineversorgung im deutschen Gesundheitssystem ist wenig bekannt. Methodik: Im Zeitraum von Mai bis Juni 2022 wurde durch den Ärzteverband Deutscher Allergologen (AeDA) eine Befragung von allergologisch tätigen Ärzt*innen in Deutschland zum Thema Nahrungsmittelallergien durchgeführt. Die Untersuchung hatte zum Ziel, Einblicke über den Anteil der Patient*innen mit Nahrungsmittelallergien in der allergologischen Praxis, deren Altersstruktur, Komorbiditäten und Symptomausprägung sowie zu in der Praxis etablierten Diagnostikmethoden zu gewinnen. Außerdem wurden auch Fragen zu spezifischen Fortbildungsangeboten in diesem Indikationsgebiet gestellt. Ergebnisse: Ausgewertet wurden die von insgesamt 139 Allergolog*innen ausgefüllten Fragebögen. 105 der antwortenden Ärzt*innen arbeiten in der Praxis, 34 zumindest auch in der Klinik. 99

Hintergrund: In den letzten Jahren wurden neue Technologien zur Standardisierung von Pricktests entwickelt und validiert. In der Zwischenzeit haben die Herausforderungen durch das Fehlen von Testallergenen und den Mangel an geschultem Personal zugenommen. Neuartige Technologien könnten diesen Herausforderungen entgegenwirken, aber ihre potenzielle Akzeptanz ist derzeit nicht bekannt. Die aktuelle Umfrage, die vom Ärzteverband Deutscher Allergologen (AeDA) durchgeführt wurde, hatte zum Ziel, die aktuelle Praxis der Allergiediagnostik in Deutschland zu evaluieren. Methoden: Die Mitglieder des AeDA wurden gebeten, einen Online-Fragebogen auszufüllen, um Informationen über ihre Bewertung von Allergietests zu erhalten. Ergebnisse: 150 praktisch tätige Allergologen aus verschiedenen Fachrichtungen füllten den Fragebogen aus. Die Umfrage ergab, dass doppelt so viele Haut-Pricktests (SPTs) (21,2 Tests/Woche) als spezifische Immunglobulin(Ig)-E-Antikörper-Tests (10,4 Tests/Woche) durchgeführt werden. Nasale Allergenprovokationstests werden in 56,0 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40629-024-00297-6

Novel technologies standardising the testing process of immediate hypersensitivities have been developed and validated in recent years. Meanwhile, challenges with regard to availability of testing agents and shortage of trained personnel have increased. Novel technologies could fight these challenges, but their distribution is at present not known. The current survey, conducted by the German Society for Allergology (AeDA), aimed to assess current practices of allergy diagnostics in Germany. Members of AeDA were invited to complete an online questionnaire to obtain information on their perspectives on allergy testing and diagnostics. A total of 150 allergologists from different disciplines treating patients with allergy completed the questionnaire. This survey revealed that twice as many skin prick tests (SPT; 21.2 tests/week) compared to serum specific immunoglobulin E tests (IgE; 10.4 tests/week) are being performed. Nasal allergen provocation tests are being performed in 56.0

S2k-Leitlinie der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Allergologie und klinische Immunologie (DGAKI), der Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Allergologie und Umweltmedizin (GPA), des Ärzteverbandes Deutscher Allergologen (AeDA), der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Allergologie und Immunologie (ÖGAI), der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Allergologie und Immunologie (SGAI), der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft (DDG), der Deutschen Gesellschaft für HNO-Heilkunde, Kopfund Halschirurgie (DGHNO-KHC), der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Kinderund Jugendmedizin (DGKJ), der Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Pneumologie (GPP), der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Pneumologie und Beatmungsmedizin (DGP), des Deutschen Berufsverbandes der HNO-Ärzte (BVHNO), des Berufsverbandes der Kinderund Jugendärzte (BVKJ), des Bundesverbandes der Pneumologen (BDP) und des Berufsverbandes der Deutschen Dermatologen (BVDD)

Summary Two employees of the National Health Service (NHS) in England developed severe allergic reactions following administration of BNT162b2 vaccine against COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). The British SmPC for the BNT162b2 vaccine already includes reference to a contraindication for use in individuals who have had an allergic reaction to the vaccine or any of its components. As a precautionary measure, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued interim guidance to the NHS not to vaccinate in principle in “patients with severe allergies”. Allergic reactions to vaccines are very rare, but vaccine components are known to cause allergic reactions. BNT162b2 is a vaccine based on an mRNA embedded in lipid nanoparticles and blended with other substances to enable its transport into the cells. In the pivotal phase III clinical trial, the BNT162b2 vaccine was generally well tolerated, but this large clinical trial, used to support vaccine approval by the MHRA and US Food and Drug Administration, excluded individuals with a “history of a severe adverse reaction related to the vaccine and/or a severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) to a component of the study medication”. Vaccines are recognized as one of the most effective public health interventions. This repeated administration of a foreign protein (antigen) necessitates a careful allergological history before each application and diagnostic clarification and a risk–benefit assessment before each injection. Severe allergic reactions to vaccines are rare but can be life-threatening, and it is prudent to raise awareness of this hazard among vaccination teams and to take adequate precautions while more experience is gained with this new vaccine.