Diagnostic Workup and Management of Histamine-induced Disorders: Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Urticaria

Program Overview:
Allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria are histamine-induced conditions that have a substantial impact on patient health and quality of life. Allergic rhinitis, which affects more than 14% of adults in the US, can impact both work and school productivity and is associated with comorbidities including asthma, sinusitis, and sleep disorders. Chronic idiopathic urticaria affects 0.5% to 1.0% of the American population and is highly debilitating, negatively impacting sleep, mobility, and energy, as well as home, work, and social life. Although antihistamines are common first-line treatments for both conditions, significant barriers remain to successful outcomes. Allergic rhinitis is frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated, and chronic idiopathic urticaria is often managed inappropriately.

Diagnostic Workup and Management of Histamine-induced Disorders: Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Urticaria will provide primary care clinicians with up-to-date, evidence-based information on diagnosing and managing these chronic conditions.

Learning Objectives:
After completing this activity, the participant will be able to

1.   Identify strategies to overcome barriers for adequate control of allergic rhinitis symptoms
2.   Create treatment strategies to improve outcomes for patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria

Accreditation/Designation Statement:
Primary Care Network, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Primary Care Network designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Target Audience:
This activity is targeted to all physicians and other healthcare professionals who treat patients with allergic rhinitis or chronic urticaria.

Release Date: October 21, 2009
Expiration Date: October 21, 2010

Medium: Online CME

Acknowledgment of Commercial Support:
This activity was developed from the live Best Practices in Primary Care™ program held in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 26, 2009, an is funded by sanofi-aventis US Inc. and UCB, Inc.

Method of Participation:
To receive CME credit for this activity, you need to review the program (slides and audio). Upon finishing the online CME, complete the post-test and evaluation, and fill out all required personal information. To receive your CME certificate you will need to pass the post-test with 70% accuracy or better.

Post-test and Evaluation:
After completing this activity, click on the Post-test button at the end of the program. If you receive less than 70% on the post-test, you will be returned to the beginning of the activity to review the presentation again. Upon successful completion of the post-test, you will be asked to fill out a program evaluation form and prompted to print your CME certificate.

Statement of Disclosure and Independence:
It is the policy of Primary Care Network, Inc. to ensure all its sponsored educational activities are planned, developed, and conducted in accordance with the ACCME’s Essential Areas and Policies. In accordance with ACCME requirements, Primary Care Network has Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Policies that are designed to ensure that Primary Care Network sponsored educational activities are fair balanced, independent, evidence‐based and based on scientific rigor.

Primary Care Network’s Resolution of Personal Conflicts of Interest (COI) Policy aims to ensure that all conflicts are resolved prior to the activity, content is developed and presented free of commercial bias, and is in the interest of promoting improvements or quality in healthcare. All individuals who are in a position to influence and/or control content of a Primary Care Network sponsored activity are required to disclose to the participants any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the activity. The educational content is also reviewed for independence and content validation by an independent external clinical reviewer and internal clinical reviewer. Independence is also monitored through the activity and overall program evaluation process.

The opinions, ideas, recommendations, and perspectives expressed in the accompanying presentations at this Primary Care Education program are those of the program authors and presenting faculty only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, ideas, recommendations or perspectives of their affiliated institutions, Primary Care Network, Primary Care Education, Advisory Boards and Consultants, or the activity’s commercial supporters.

Faculty and Disclosure:
Michael S. Blaiss, MD
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center
Memphis, TN

Dr. Blaiss has served on the speaker’s bureau and advisory board of Alcon Labs, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, sanofi-aventis, Schering-Plough, and Sepracor. He has also served on the speaker’s bureau of AstraZeneca and Dey.

Mark L. Corbett, MD
Associate Clinical Professor
Division of Allergy/Immunology
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Louisville, KY

Dr. Corbett has served on the speaker’s bureau of Alcon Labs, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, sanofi-aventis, Schering-Plough, and Sepracor.

Planning Committee and Disclosures:
Michael S. Blaiss, MD
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, TN

Dr. Blaiss has served on the speaker’s bureau and advisory board of Alcon Labs, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, sanofi-aventis, Schering-Plough, and Sepracor. He has also served on the speaker’s bureau of AstraZeneca and Dey.

Anthony Montanaro, MD
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Oregon Health & Sciences University
Portland, OR

Dr. Montanaro has served on the speaker’s bureau of AstraZeneca, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Schering-Plough.

Devera Pine
Senior Managing Editor
Network for Continuing Medical Education
Secaucus, NJ

Ms. Pine has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Review Committee Disclosure
In accordance with PCN policy, all content is reviewed by external independent peer reviewers for balance, objectivity, and commercial bias.  The peer reviewers, staff, and other individuals who control content have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Unlabeled Use Declaration
During their presentation(s), faculty may discuss an unlabeled use or an investigational use not approved for a commercial product. Each faculty member is required to disclose this information to the audience when referring to an unlabeled or investigational use.