Alex Trelinski
A PHONE app that could help save the life of a food allergy sufferer has been inspired by a Cadiz allergy specialist thanks to treating a girl whose father is into modern technology.
The free app called AllergApp can ‘prevent scares and save lives’ according to the creators.
Around 3% of children are susceptible to food allergies and that number doubles to youngsters aged 14 years and under.
The adult population that has to be careful about what they eat totals a significant 1.5% to 2.0% of the population.
Doctor Antonio Letran has been treating a girl called Alba who suffers from a nut allergy.
She endured an accidental poisoning and part of the problem was trying to have all the necessary information quickly at hand and an instant solution.
Antonio built up a friendship with Alba’s parents, including her father Jose Carlos Toajas who is a project manager at an aeronautical solutions company.
“I knew that Jose Carlos had developed an app for something else and I suggested one that allows a caregiver or allergy sufferer something similar that can access all the information in two or three clicks,” explained Doctor Letran.
“That’s the core of the app, to help in the acute moment of reactions. It’s a time when you’re scared, worried. In addition to knowing what stage it is in, a specific medication must be managed. Having a guide that, in a matter of seconds, tells you what to do and accompanies you until the reaction is finished is very important,” he added.
The app is simple as once diagnosed with an allergy, the patient transfers all their personal data, including height, weight and age, as well as the treatment prescribed to combat any reactions.
The app includes a virtual ‘first aid kit’ with a list of the needed drugs and doses depending on the phases of the allergic reaction because, as Letran points out, ‘the sooner it is treated, the sooner it is controlled’.
“The app accompanies you because, when an incident happens, it asks the user, with pre-established times, about the symptoms at that very moment to recommend an extra dose of medication or a visit to the emergency room, and even saying there isn’t a problem,” Letran concluded.
AllergApp also asks to list all foodstuffs consumed that day which can be used to work what may have caused a serious reaction.
Developers of the app believe it can be adapted for asthma and diabetes sufferers, and AllergApp is awaiting translation into other languages.
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