Allergy is now emerging as a front line scientific and medical discipline of great importance. Within the subject, there have been considerable advances in the past decade in understanding the underlying mechanism of allergy and the diseases associated with it. At the same time, we have seen a vast increase in incidence of allergic disease around the world, and particularly in western countries due to changes in environmental factors. In this new volume, the editors have assembled an expert team of international experts to select the recent papers that are shaping thinking in the field, within the broad areas of epidemiology, pathogenesis, pathophysiology and treatment modalities for allergic diseases. Each paper is summarized and reviewed and then placed in its clinical context, thus assisting the reader to adapt his or her own practice to the latest developments in a considered way. This title demonstrates how a fast-moving field has moved forward in the past twelve months. Key papers for practice from 40 journals are identified and summarized. It draws on the experience of an international team of allergy specialists.