Allergy and Allergic Diseases has been organized to provide an up-to-date, clinically relevant compilation of one of the most exciting areas of investigation in medicine today-allergic disease, especially as it pertains to the skin, airways, and bowel. With the dramatic rise in the incidence of various allergic disorders worldwide, and the coming of age of the discipline of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the interface between basic and clinical science in this arena demands highlighting in this comprehensive new syn thesis.1t is with the hope of filling this evident need that Allergy and Allergic Diseases: The New Mechanisms and Therapeutics has been put together. The book's content is divided into both basic and clinical sections, with emphasis on various components of the immune and inflammatory response as they relate to the development of allergic disease. Topics span the range from molecular biology to clinical symptomatology, with an effort to make this of interest to as broad a constituency as possible. This book will therefore be of substantial interest to specialists in Clinical Immunology and Allergy, scientists studying the cellular and molecular biology of in flammation and immunity, as well as internists, teachers, developers of medical school curricula, and members of industry focused on drug discovery and therapeutics. Indeed, a separate section has been added to deal with some specific issues in this latter field.
"The book presents a broad overview of the field at a level that is easy to understand. . .provides an advanced understanding of the current state of the field and leaves the reader receptive to new concepts and therapies for allergic disease that will soon be forthcoming"-Dale T. Umetsu, MD, PhD, review in the April 29, 1999 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine "...an excellent book on allergy and allergic diseases....a carefully thought-out whole, starting with IgE mechanisms, environmental allergens, and the new "jungle hypothesis" of atopic disorders beginning in early childhood. The book then proceeds to cellular and molecular aspects of inflammation, highlighting the key points of the pathogenesis of allergy in different organs, and ending with the essentials of treatment." - Allergy "The book certainly has the five main features described in the presentation: it is written by leading authorities in allergy research...it provides an updated comprehensive survey of the mechanisms of allergic diseases; it illustrates the cellular and molecular bases of allergy and asthma; it emphasizes pathogenesis and the relevance of mechanisms to clinical expression; it includes useful information on therapeutics and possibilities for drug discovery." - EACCI