Allergies affect the lives of more and more people every year. Roughly 30 percent of the European population suffers from allergies, and that figure is expected to reach 50 percent by 2015. Allergies compromise health, lower the quality of life, and can even take an acute, life-threatening course.

Yet allergies receive little attention in public discourse and from the health care system. According to estimates by the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology, only ten percent of patients affected by respiratory allergies receive proper therapy. This leads to a worsening of their condition. An example: 40% percent of the patients with an untreated allergic rhinitis eventually develop allergic asthma.

The following pages provide comprehensive information about allergies and the various therapies that exist to treat them. We will also inform you about our foundation's work and goals, all part of our effort to spread the word: there is such a thing as "quality of life in spite of allergies."

We extend our warmest thanks to our partners and patrons, without whose support our foundation goals would not have been met. Our thanks also go out for the generous contributions of the REWE trading group, which allowed us to establish an "Endowed Chair for Dermatological Allergology."

ECARF is borne by the personal commitment of many individuals. We welcome any and all initiatives in support of our work.