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Specific immunotherapy in children: past and present
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.
Insights
Specific immunotherapy (SIT) offers a curative option for pediatric respiratory conditions like asthma and rhinitis. Early administration in children, even as young as 2-3 years, is recommended to alter disease progression, contrary to concerns about anaphylaxis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Specific immunotherapy (SIT) for children is often overlooked.
- Current treatments for pediatric asthma and rhinitis are largely symptomatic.
- Early onset of these conditions in children necessitates disease-modifying treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advocate for the early and widespread use of SIT in pediatric patients.
- To address concerns regarding anaphylactic reactions in pediatric SIT.
- To highlight SIT as a potentially curative treatment for childhood respiratory diseases.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on pediatric SIT.
- Analysis of treatment outcomes and safety data for SIT in young children.
- Comparison of SIT with symptomatic treatments for asthma and rhinitis.
Main Results:
- SIT is a viable and potentially curative treatment for pediatric asthma and rhinitis.
- Concerns about anaphylaxis in pediatric SIT may be overstated, lacking robust data.
- Early intervention with SIT can alter the natural course of these respiratory diseases.
Conclusions:
- Specific immunotherapy should be considered a primary treatment option for children, including those aged 2-3 years.
- The benefits of SIT in altering disease progression outweigh potential risks when managed appropriately.
- Further research is needed to solidify safety profiles and efficacy in very young children.
Abstract:
Specific immunotherapy (SIT) in children is usually completely neglected. Pediatric SIT being not an optional treatment should be administered as soon as possible, also in children aged 2-3 years, due to the very early asthma and rhinitis onset, contrarily to a recent publication that continues to stress the danger of anaphylactic reactions without displaying reliable data. On the other hand drugs represent only a symptomatic treatment, therefore SIT is the only treatment which can alter the natural course of respiratory diseases.