Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Division

The Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology helps kids who have problems with their immune systems from birth. It also helps kids who have complicated allergic diseases. The Division has clinics for Immunology, Allergy, and Bone Marrow Transplant. It has a program for replacing immunoglobulin and consulting services for hospitalized kids.

Mission of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Division

The Allergy and Immunology Clinic helps kids with genetically inherited immune system disorders and allergies. People come from all over the Kingdom to get diagnosed and get advice on how to treat their conditions.

Vision of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Division

• Provide the highest quality of health care to our patients.
  

• Lead the way in research and discovery in immunological diseases.
  

• Educate residents and fellows about immunology and allergy.
  

Objectives of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

• Diagnosis and treatment of patients with genetically inherited disorders of the immune system.

• Advanced immunodeficiency management, such as hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

• Provide pre and post-bone marrow transplant care.

• Diagnosis and manage complex allergic diseases, including drug allergy, vaccine allergy, and food allergy, and provide skin and RAST testing, challenges and desensitization as needed.

• Enabling trainees to gain in-depth experience in a broad range of clinical and theoretical immunology and allergy.

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Division Programs

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Education & Training

Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology Fellowship Training Program: This two-year program gives participants thorough training and unique experience to prepare them for a career in Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Clinical Care Outcomes

• Increase Number of PID patients for BMT
• 4 week access to clinics >90 % with an aim to keep it >90% - 100%
• Starting SCIG program for most PID patients as needed
• Increase number of research in our division
  

Achievements and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Clinical:

• Increased number of Allergy/Immunology clinic to total of 8 clinic/week
• 4 week access to clinics >75% with an aim to keep it >90%
• No waiting list and continue this for subsequent years
• Bone Marrow transplant (BMT) clinic 2019
• Immunology/ Rheumatology grand rounds for Immunodysregulation Patients
• Immunology/BMT weekly grand rounds for PID patient requiring BMT
• Increased number of admissions due to established BMT for Immunodeficient patients
• Start of SCIG therapy for some patient in PDCU – for further future expansion
  

Education and Training

• The immunology fellowship program was established on the first of January 2020 with one Fellow position.
  
  

• The immunology fellowship program increased the capacity of the Fellow position to two new Fellows effective the first of January 2021 with one Fellow position.

The Immunology fellowship program will have a mentorship program, where each fellow will have a mentor. The mentor and mentee will meet regularly to discuss career goals and monitor training requirements.

Research Fellowship Program

Fellows are encouraged to participate in research and lead their own projects. The faculty is supportive and act as supervisors for the research. Our fellows are currently working on various research projects, including PID and allergic diseases.

Research and Publications of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Division

1. A Novel Combined Immunodeficiency due to defective POLE2. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2016 Feb 11;137(2):635-638.e1. Epub 2015 Sep 11.
2. T regulatory cell biology in health and disease. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 2016 Apr;16(4):27
3. Severe Early-onset combined immunodeficiency due to heterozygous gain of function mutations in STAT1. J Clin Immunol 2016 10 5;36(7):641-8. Epub 2016 Jul 5.
4. Ruxolitinib reverses dysregulated T helper cell responses and controls autoimmunity caused by a novel signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) gain-of-function mutation. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017 May 27;139(5):1629-1640.e2. Epub 2017 Jan 27.
5. Exaggerated T Follicular Helper Cell Responses in LRBA Deficiency Due to Failure of CTLA4-Mediated Regulation. Accepted in JACI, May 2017.
6. DOCK8 Deficiency presenting as an IPEX like Disorder. J Clin Immunol 2017 Nov 23;37(8):811-819. Epub 2017 Oct 23.
7. Duplicate skin prick testing in the assessment of food allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2019 Feb 1;7(2):675-677. Epub 2018 Aug 1.
8. NCKAP1L defects lead to a novel syndrome combining immunodeficiency, lymphoproliferation, and hyperinflammation. J Exp Med 2020 12;217(12).
9. Clinical and Immunological Characterization of Combined Immunodeficiency Due to TFRC Mutation in Eight Patients. Journal of Clinical Immunology, 27 Aug 2020, 40(8):1103-1110
10. Homozygous truncating NEK10 mutation, associated with primary ciliary dyskinesia: a case report. BMC Pulm Med 2020 May 15;20(1):141. Epub 2020 May 15.
11. Successful hematopoietic stem cell transplant in leukocyte adhesion deficiency type III presenting primarily as malignant infantile osteopetrosis. Clin Immunol 2020 04 21;213:108365. Epub 2020 Feb 21.
12. Hypomorphic variants in AK2 reveal the contribution of mitochondrial function to B-cell activation. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2020 07 17;146(1):192-202. Epub 2019 Dec 17.
13. The level of knowledge about primary immunodeficiency diseases among medical students in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. IJMDC, 2021;5(1):261–266.
14. Arkwright P, Summers C, Riley B, Alsediq N, Pumphrey R. IgE Sensitization to the Nonspecific Lipid-Transfer Protein Ara h 9 and Peanut-Associated Bronchospasm. 2013.
15. Najla Alsediq, Level of knowledge of emergency room physicians about Paediatric Anaphylaxis guidelines for diagnosis and management: Findings from a cross-sectional study.2020.
16. (2021) Pancytopenia, Recurrent Infection, Poor Wound Healing, Heterotopia of the Brain Probably Associated with A Candidate Novel de Novo CDC42 Gene Defect: Expanding the Molecular and Phenotypic Spectrum. Genes Journal
    
    Abdulaziz Asiri, Deemah Alwadaani, Muhammad Umair, Kheloud M. Alhamoudi, Mohammed H. Almuhanna, Abdul Nasir, Bahauddeen M. Alrfaei, Abeer Al Tuwaijri, Tlili Barhoumi, Yusra Alyafee, Bader Almuzzaini, Mohammed Aldrees, Mariam Ballow, Latifah Alayyar, Abdulkareem Al Abdulrahman, Yazeid Alhaidan, Nahlah Al Ghasham, Sulaiman Al-Ajaji, Mohammad Alsalamah, Wafa Al Suwairi, and Majid Alfadhel
17. (2021) Biologicals in atopic disease in pregnancy: an EAACI position paper. Allergy Journal. Birgit Pfaller, Juan José Yepes-Nuñez, Ioana Agache, Cezmi A. Akdis, Mohammad Alsalamah, Sevim Bavbek, Apostolos Bossios, Onur Boyman, Adam Chaker, Susan Chan, Alexia Chatzipetrou, George du Toit, Marek Jutel, Paula Kauppi, Antonios Kolios, Carmen Li, Andrea Matucci, Alanna Marson, Sarah Bendien, Oscar Palomares, Barbara Rogala, Zsolt Szepfalusi, Eva Untersmayr, Alessandra Vultaggio, Thomas Eiwegger
18. (2019) SPENCDI Chapter. Genetic Syndromes: A Comprehensive Reference Guide. (Co-author)
19. (2019) Establishing reference ranges for lymphocyte proliferation responses to phytohemagglutinin in patients with T cell dysfunction. LymphoSign Journal. Mohammad Alsalamah, Linda Vong, Lorand Cimpean, Harjit Dadi
20. (2017). Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis associated with ataxia telangiectasia. LymphoSign Journal. Mohammad Alsalamah, Chaim Roifman.
21. (2016). Anaphylaxis to milk after elimination diet for Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease. American Journal of Gastroenterology. Nature Group. Mohammad Alsalamah, Melanie Makhija, Gino Somers, Margaret Marcon, David Hummel and Julia Upton.
22. (2015). Chronic granulomatous disease with an initial presentation of arthritis and oral ulcers. LymphoSign Journal. Mohammad Alsalamah, Mariam Hanna, Julia Upton
23. (2015). Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a patient with CD3δ deficiency. LymphoSign Journal. Mohammad Alsalamah, Amrita Sarpal, Victoria Mok Siu, Paul Gibson, CA Rupar, de Michelle Barton, Marina I Salvadori, Sharan Goobiec.
24. (2013). Transaldolase deficiency: report of 12 new cases and further delineation of the phenotype. Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease. Wafaa Eyaid, Talal Al Harbi, Shamsa Anazi, Mirjam M. C. Wamelink, Cornelis Jakobs, Mohammad Alsalamah, Mohammed Al Balwi, Majid Alfadhel, Fowzan S. Alkuraya.
    

Leadership of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology