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. 2022 Jan;33 Suppl 27(Suppl 27):27-30.
doi: 10.1111/pai.13622.

Safety of allergen-specific immunotherapy in children

Maria De Filippo  1   2 , Martina Votto  1   2 , Lucia Caminiti  3 , Ilenia Panasiti  3 , Francesco Carella  4 , Giovanna De Castro  5 , Massimo Landi  6 , Roberta Olcese  7 , Mario Vernich  8 , Gian Luigi Marseglia  1   2 , Giorgio Ciprandi  2   9 , Salvatore Barberi  7
Affiliations

Safety of allergen-specific immunotherapy in children

Maria De Filippo et al. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Allergic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, are global health issues and have had an increasing prevalence in the last decades. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is the only curative treatment for allergic rhinitis and asthma, as it has a disease-modifying effect. AIT is generally administered by two routes: subcutaneous (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Local side effects are common, but usually well-tolerated and self-limited. However, systemic side effects are rare, and associated with uncontrolled asthma and bronchial obstruction, or related to errors in administration. Physicians should constantly assess potential risk factors for not only reporting systemic reactions and fatalities but also implementing other therapies to improve AIT safety. This paper highlights recent evidence on local and systemic reactions related to SCIT and SLIT in children.

Keywords: adverse events; allergen immunotherapy (AIT); anaphylaxis; safety; subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT); sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared they have no conflict of interests.

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