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| Acronyms |
| ACF | Academic Clinical Fellowship |
| AEDS | Atopic Eczema/Dermatitis Syndrome |
| AIDS | Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome |
| ALSPAC | Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children |
| ARIA | Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma |
| ASA | Advertising Standards Authority |
| BBSRC | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council |
| BCAP | Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice |
| BOHRF | British Occupational Health Research Foundation |
| BRC | British Retail Consortium |
| BSACI | British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology |
| CAP | Committee of Advertising Practice |
| CIEH | Chartered Institute of Environmental Health |
| CL | Clinical Lectureship |
| COMEAP | Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants |
| COSHH | Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002 (as amended) Regulations |
| COT | Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment |
| CSM | Committee on Safety of Medicines |
| DCLG | Department for Communities and Local Government |
| Defra | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| DEP | Diesel Exhaust Particle |
| DfES | Department for Education and Skills |
| DH | Department of Health |
| DIN | Doctors Independent Network |
| DWP | Department for Work and Pensions |
| EAA | Extrinsic Allergic Alveolitis |
| EAACI | European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology |
| ECRHS | European Community Respiratory Health Survey |
| EFA | European Federation of Allergy |
| ELSPAC | European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy And Childhood |
| ENT | Ear, Nose and Throat |
| EU | European Union |
| FSA | Food Standards Agency |
| GAIN | GA2LEN Anaphylaxis Initiative |
| GA2LEN | Global Allergy and Asthma European Network |
| GP | General Practitioner |
| GPRD | General Practice Research Database |
| GPwSI | General Practitioners with a Special Interest |
| GSK | GlaxoSmithKline |
| HIV | Human Immunodeficiency Virus |
| HPA | Health Protection Agency |
| HSE | Health and Safety Executive |
| IFR | Institute of Food Research |
| IIDB | Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit |
| ISAAC | International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood |
| IVD | in vitro Diagnostic Device |
| LACORS | Local Authorities Coordinators Of Regulatory Services |
| LEAP | Learning Early About Peanut allergy |
| MCS | Multiple Chemical Sensitivity |
| MHRA | Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency |
| MRC | Medical Research Council |
| NHS | National Health Service |
| NICE | National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence |
| NO2 | Nitrogen Dioxide |
| O3 | Ozone |
| OSCHR | Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research |
| OUH | Odense University Hospital |
| PAH | Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon |
| PALM | Pollen Associated Lipid Mediator |
| PCT | Primary Care Trust |
| PPD | Para-Phenylenediamine |
| RCGP WRS | Royal College of General Practitioners Weekly Returns Service |
| REACH | Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals |
| RIDDOR | Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 |
| RPSGB | Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain |
| SNOMED-CT | Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine classification system |
| SO2 | Sulphur Dioxide |
| THOR | The Health and Occupation Reporting network |
| UK | United Kingdom |
| VOC | Volatile Organic Compound |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
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| Glossary |
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Adrenaline | A "fight or flight" hormone released from the adrenal glands when danger threatens. Used to treat anaphylaxis because it reverses the effects of histamine |
| Allergen | A substance which causes an allergic reaction |
| Allergy | An exaggerated, adverse reaction of the immune system to an external agent |
| Alveolus (pl. alveoli) | Spherical outcroppings at the ends of the respiratory bronchioles which are the primary sites of gas exchange with the blood |
| Anaphylaxis | An acute hypersensitivity reaction, often due to an allergy, in which there is a massive release of histamine throughout the body |
| Antibody | A protein produced by the immune system which binds in a "lock and key" fashion to a specific antigen (or allergen) |
| Antigen | A substance which produces an immune response (involving antibody production) |
| Antihistamine | A drug which antagonises the actions of histamine |
| Atopy | An atopic individual has the hereditary predisposition to produce IgE antibodies against common allergens |
| Autoimmune | An immune response against an individual's own antigens |
| Bronchiole | A small branch of the windpipe which conveys air to and from the lungs |
| Bronchus (pl. bronchi) | A large branch of the windpipe which conveys air to and from the lungs |
| Coeliac disease | A disease of the bowel that is caused by an allergy to gluten |
| Corticosteroid | An agent with potent anti-inflammatory properties |
| EPIDERM project | A scheme run by The Health and Occupation Reporting network to monitor the prevalence of occupational skin disorders |
| Hypersensitivity | An abnormal sensitivity to a stimulus.
Often used specifically to describe an exaggerated immune response to an external substance |
| Hypoallergenic | A substance with a low potential to cause allergy |
| IgE | A class of antibodies produced in atopic individuals, which binds to mast cells and basophils (a type of white blood cell) and initiates an allergic reaction after interaction with a specific allergen |
| IgG | A class of antibodies produced as part of the normal immune response to a wide variety of external substances including micro-organisms and foods |
| Immunotherapy | The administration, over time, of increasing doses of an allergen to which a person is sensitive, in order to desensitise the allergic individual |
| Intolerance | An abnormal response to an external substance (such as food) which does not involve the immune system |
| Mast cell | A cell which is present in virtually all tissues which contains granules packed with histamine and other agents. It is activated by IgE and allergen during an allergic reaction |
| Polymorphism | A naturally occurring variation between genetic sequences of different individuals |
| Prophylactic | An agent which protects or prevents |
| SWORD | Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease; a scheme run by The Health and Occupation Reporting network to monitor the prevalence of occupational respiratory disorders |
| T helper 1 (Th1) cell | A type of immune cell involved in autoimmune disease and in killing certain intracellular organisms |
| T helper 2 (Th2) cell | A type of immune cell involved in atopic allergic disease and certain parasitic infections |
| Translational research | The clinical application of scientific, laboratory based, medical research. Often referred to as "bench to bedside" research |
