SEICAP
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Sociedad Española de Inmunología Clínica, Alergología y Asma Pediátrica (SEICAP), the Spanish Society of Pediatric Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, is a scientific, non-profit organization, whose aims are to develop and disseminate the knowledge of allergic and immunologic diseases that affect children. Since June 2012 SEICAP has been recognized as a Public Interest Entity.[1] As the most important part of their field of study we can include childhood asthma, rhinitis and conjunctivitis, anaphylaxis, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, urticaria and angioedema, food allergy, drug allergy, allergy to latex, allergy to insect stings, primary immunodeficiency, and other disorders. These conditions are very frequent in children, especially in developed countries,[2][3] and generate a considerable expenditure on health, especially increasing since the 1990s.[4]
History
The acquisition of new knowledge and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques in the field of medicine have given rise to different medical specialties. Pediatrics was born as a specialty in the nineteenth century, for the study of health in children, because their special features make their pathological processes differ from those of adults, and it experienced the same progress as other areas of medicine. The subsequent development of techniques led to the creation of subspecialties within the field of pediatrics. The different Pediatric Specialties are being promoted by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) since 1967. In 1972 the Section of Pediatric Clinical Immunology and Allergology was created, although its actual implementation took place in 1976, during the National Congress of Pediatrics held in Barcelona. In 1995 the Section was transformed into the current SEICAP, as an independent Society with its specific statutes, while maintaining a close relationship with AEP.
Mission and values
- Leading the knowledge about the diagnosis, assessment, treatment and prevention of allergic and immunological diseases in children, in order to provide the best care for those who have or are at risk for having these diseases.
- Disseminating such knowledge among professionals and nonprofessionals interested in this field.
- Contributing to national and international research, especially in the European and Latin American area.
- Establishing national and international relationships with other Societes that share the same goals.
- Acting as an advisory body for the Public Administration, private entities and other societies, on issues related to the specialty.
- Representing professionals interested in the area of pediatric allergy and clinical immunology.
Ethics is an inseparable foundation of SEICAP as an association. The aims and activities of SEICAP are guided by the objective of achieving excellence in the care of children with health problems related to the specialty.
Structure
The number of members of SEICAP is about 350 in 2012. The Society is governed by a Board, composed of seven members, to be partially renewed every 2 years by voting in the General Assembly. To achieve its purposes SEICAP has created several working groups, whose activity is focused on specific aspects of childhood allergy and clinical immunology. These groups are:
- Clinical Immunology
- Continued Education
- Drug Allergy
- Food Allergy
- Health Public Education
- Immunotherapy
- Pediatric Allergy Nursing
- Respiratory Allergy
- Website
The activity of such groups results in the preparation of Reports and Position Papers, Protocols for Diagnosis and Treatment, in organizing training courses, in the design and implementation of projects for basic and clinical research, in the dissemination of information for the scientific community and the general public, and in the collaboration with other scientific societies, with official bodies and with patients’ associations.
Every year SEICAP organizes its Annual Congress, which updates the knowledge of the specialty, and in which the members contribute papers on their research. SEICAP has a medical journal, Allergologia et Immunopathologia, which is the official organ of the Society, and in which scientific articles are published, submitted by authors from any country. SEICAP has implemented a website. It has an area for professionals and an area for patients and families. It features news and permanent and updated advice (in Spanish) about practical management of allergic diseases, concerning avoidance of allergens, diets, use of medication, treatment protocols, and extensive information for public education.
References
- ^ BOE: Boletin Oficial del Estado
- ^ Asher MI, Montefort S, Bjorksten B, et al. Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys. Lancet. 2006;368(9537):733-43.
- ^ Patel SP, Järvelin MR, Little MP. Systematic review of worldwide variations of the prevalence of wheezing symptoms in children. Environ Health 2008 Nov 10;7:57. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-7-57.
- ^ Rank MA, Liesinger JT, Ziegenfuss JY, Branda ME, Lim KG, Yawn BP, Li JT, Shah ND. Asthma expenditures in the United States comparing 2004 to 2006 and 1996 to 1998. Am J Manag Care 2012 Sep;18(9):499-504.]