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. 2022 Oct;33(10):e13851.
doi: 10.1111/pai.13851.

Allergic diseases and immunodeficiencies in children, lessons learnt from COVID-19 pandemic by 2022: A statement from the EAACI-section on pediatrics

Daniel Munblit  1 , Matthew Greenhawt  2 , Helen A Brough  3   4 , Anna Pushkareva  5 , Diana Karimova  5 , Anastasia Demidova  5 , John O Warner  1 , Omer Kalayci  6 , Anna Sediva  7 , Eva Untersmayr  8 , Pablo Rodriguez Del Rio  9 , Marta Vazquez-Ortiz  1 , Stefania Arasi  10 , Montserrat Alvaro-Lozano  11 , Sophia Tsabouri  12 , Elena Galli  13 , Burcin Beken  14 , Philippe A Eigenmann  15
Affiliations

Allergic diseases and immunodeficiencies in children, lessons learnt from COVID-19 pandemic by 2022: A statement from the EAACI-section on pediatrics

Daniel Munblit et al. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

By the April 12, 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in over half a billion people being infected worldwide. There have been 6.1 million deaths directly due to the infection, but the pandemic has had many more short- and long-term pervasive effects on the physical and mental health of the population. Allergic diseases are among the most prevalent noncommunicable chronic diseases in the pediatric population, and health-care professionals and researchers were seeking answers since the beginning of pandemic. Children are at lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 or dying from infection. Allergic diseases are not associated with a higher COVID-19 severity and mortality, apart from severe/poorly controlled asthma. The pandemic disrupted routine health care, but many mitigation strategies, including but not limited to telemedicine, were successfully implemented to continue delivery of high-standard care. Although children faced a multitude of pandemic-related issues, allergic conditions were effectively treated remotely while reduction in air pollution and lack of contact with outdoor allergens resulted in improvement, particularly respiratory allergies. There is no evidence to recommend substantial changes to usual management modalities of allergic conditions in children, including allergen immunotherapy and use of biologicals. Allergic children are not at greater risk of multisystem inflammatory syndrome development, but some associations with Long COVID were reported, although the data are limited, and further research is needed. This statement of the EAACI Section on Pediatrics provides recommendations based on the lessons learnt from the pandemic, as available evidence.

Keywords: COVID-19; MIS-C; SARS-CoV-2; allergic diseases; allergy; asthma; care; children; eczema; food allergy; immunodeficiencies; lockdown; long covid; pandemic; post-covid-19 condition; vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

DM reports receipt of grants from the British Embassy in Moscow, UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and Russian Foundation for Basic Research for COVID‐19 and Long COVID research. He is also a cochair of International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) Global Pediatric Long COVID Working Group, member of ISARIC working group on long‐term follow‐up in adults, co‐lead of the Post‐COVID Condition Core Outcomes (PC‐COS) project, chair of the Core Outcome Measures for Food Allergy (COMFA) consortium. MG is a consultant for Aquestive; is a member of physician/medical advisory boards for DBV Technologies, Sanofi/Regeneron, Nutricia, Novartis, Acquestive, Allergy Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, ALK‐Abello, and Prota, with all activity unrelated to vaccines/vaccine development or COVID‐19 treatment; is an unpaid member of the scientific advisory council for the National Peanut Board and medical advisory board of the International Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome Association; is a member of the Brighton Collaboration Criteria Vaccine Anaphylaxis 2.0 working group; is the senior associate editor for the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and is member of the Joint Taskforce on Allergy Practice Parameters. He has received honorarium for lectures from ImSci, MedLearningGroup, RMEI Medical Education, and multiple state/local allergy societies. He received past research support ending in 2020 from the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (K08‐HS024599). HB reports speaker honoraria from Sanofi, DBV Technologies, and GSK. PRR reports consulting fees from Miravo, FAES. Payment or honoraria for lectures from Aimmune Therapeutics, GSK, FAES, Novartis, ALK‐Abello, LETI Pharma, Sanofi, Stallergenes, and Miravo. SA reports honoraria for lectures from Ulrich. EU reports receipt of a research grant from Desentum Oy. JOW reports funding from Danone/Nutricia, Friesland‐Campina, and Airsonett. He also serves an Anaphylaxis Campaign clinical and scientific panel chairman and acknowledges travel expenses as a speaker covered by the World Allergy Organization. MAL received research funding from the Spanish Pediatric Society of Clinical Immunology, Allergy and Asthma (SEICAP), the Catalan Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (SCAIC); reports honoraria for consultancy and/or advisory board and/or lectures from ALK‐Abello, FAES Pharma, LETI Pharma, Merck, Aimmune, DBV Technologies, Allergy Therapeutics, Stallergenes, Diater, Novartis, Uriach, Nestle, and Sanofi Genzyme. SA has participated as an advisory board member and/or consultant, and/or speaker for Novartis, and Ulrich outside the submitted work.

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