American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Oct. 24-28

The annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology was held from Oct. 24 to 28 in Boston, drawing attendees from around the world, including allergy and immunology specialists as well as other health care professionals. The conference featured presentations focusing on the latest advances in the prevention and treatment of asthma, food and medication allergies, and immune dysfunction.

In one study, Albert Wu, M.D., from New York City, and colleagues found that minorities are less likely to demonstrate vaccine hesitancy, even when taking into account age, gender, and language.

The authors collected vaccination history and demographic information from 338 new patients presenting to an outpatient allergy/immunology clinic between March 2023 and February 2024. White (37.2 percent), Hispanic (31.6 percent), Asian (18.9 percent), and Black (12.1 percent) ethnicities were included, with 80 percent speaking English as their primary language. The researchers found that minorities were less likely to demonstrate vaccine hesitancy. Age, gender, and language did not significantly affect likelihood for vaccine hesitancy. Mistrust of authority was among the most cited reasons by patients for vaccination hesitancy, including decreased confidence in the health care system and the government, as well as reservations regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccinations.

“Identifying target populations is a vital initial step in improving long-term vaccine acceptance. Our study found multiple patient characteristics differentially associated with increased vaccination hesitancy, including immunization history, age, and ethnicity,” Wu said. “These characteristics could be used to identify patients more at risk for being vaccine-hesitant going forward to make vaccination campaigns more efficient. We can also improve upon current efforts to increase immunization rates by studying successful initiatives from the COVID pandemic.”

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In another study, David Stukus, M.D., of Nationwide Children”s Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, and colleagues report an 11-fold increase in the number of children referred to a psychologist for food allergy-related anxiety and decreased quality of life during a 10-year period.

In a retrospective chart review of outpatient pediatric psychology referrals between 2013 and 2023, the authors evaluated 250 patients, 88 percent of whom were were referred for food allergy-related concerns and 53 percent of whom had prior documented anaphylaxis. The researchers identified an 11-fold increase in the number of children referred for food allergy-related anxiety and decreased quality of life during a 10-year period. Many of these children were quite young, with a median age of 9 years.