According to the CDC, an estimated 50+ million people in the United States have allergies and this number appears to be increasing. Allergies affect as many as 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of children and are the 6th leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S. There are about 200,000 emergency room visits each year due to food allergies and about 300 deaths per year are associated with severe food allergy reactions. This session will provide an overview of allergy. It will include information on the scope of the disease, clinical aspects, and mechanism of the allergic reaction. It will also focus on current allergy testing methodologies and with advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
Speaker:
Dr. Jim Aguanno, PhD
Senior Clinical Consultant Scientific and Clinical Affairs, Siemens Healthineers
Dr. Aguanno has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Memphis State University in Memphis, TN. Dr. Aguanno received his PhD in biochemistry from Memphis State University. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship in biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and post-doctoral fellowship in Laboratory Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Aguanno has over 40 years of experience in laboratory medicine. He devoted 24 years as the director of the core laboratory at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX. He currently acts as a Senior Clinical Consultant for Siemens Healthineers and has for the past 17 years.
