​Acute lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are a leading cause of hospitalization in young children. In Hong Kong, RSV is the primary driver of hospital admissions for children under 5 years old with respiratory viral infections, accounting for 50% of deaths in this age group. Among hospitalized RSV-infected patients, 39.4% required mechanical ventilation, while 21.1% needed inotropic support. Additionally, limited local epidemiological data further complicates this challenge.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare, yet potentially life-threatening, inheritable disease characterized by episodic attacks of cutaneous and submucosal swelling. Unfortunately, the adoption and implementation of international guidelines established in Asia-Pacific (AP) populations remains limited due to a lack of expertise, infrastructure, public awareness, and access. In an interview with Omnihealth Practice, Professor Philip Li, Board Director of the Asia Pacific Association of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (APAAACI) and lead author of a recently published epidemiologic study of HAE in the AP region, outlined the regional epidemiologic characteristics of HAE, current challenges and priority areas that require attention to optimize HAE management in the AP region. He also shared insights regarding the most recent Hong Kong-Macau Severe Hives and Angioedema Referral Pathway (SHARP) which offers guidance on patient stratification and referral strategies in patients with urticaria.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a novel post-infectious inflammatory condition associated with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), characterized by prolonged fever, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and rash. To some extent, the disease resembles Kawasaki disease (KD), toxic shock syndrome (TSS), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), increasing the difficulty in differential diagnosis in clinical practice. In an interview with Omnihealth Practice, Dr. Cheung, Wai-Yin Eddie discussed the challenge of evaluating suspected MIS-C cases in real-life scenarios and emphasized the importance of timely intervention among children who were infected with or recently recovered from COVID-19. He also shared a clinical case of a 7-year-old girl with MIS-C who presented with early MIS-C symptoms and was managed with immunomodulatory treatment, swiftly achieving favorable outcomes.