Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare has for the first time issued national guidelines for allergy treatment, aiming to address significant regional disparities in care. The new guidelines recommend that more children with severe peanut allergies and more pollen allergy sufferers who don't respond to medication should be offered advanced treatments. According to reports, over three million Swedes suffer from some form of allergy, which is classified as a public health issue.
However, knowledge within healthcare varies widely across regions, and several areas face shortages of allergy specialists. Peter Nygren, project leader at the National Board of Health and Welfare, stated that current allergy care is unequal, with access to expertise and correct diagnosis varying greatly between regions. The guidelines come as the board notes that allergy care in Sweden has been inconsistent, with different levels of competence and diagnostic availability across the country's healthcare regions.
current allergy care is unequal, with varying access to competence and correct diagnosis across different areas
there's a significant treatment gap, with approximately 100,000 children and adults eligible for these treatments, but only about 22,000 currently receiving them - leaving a gap of 80,000 people per year who could benefit from advanced allergy care