A twenty-two-year experience with Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy in a US pediatric tertiary care center 1996-2018

The rate of systemic reactions (SRs) to venom immunotherapy (VIT) in children has not been well evaluated.

To evaluate the rate of SRs to VIT in pediatric patients age 5 to 18 years who were treated with a standard protocol.

A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify patients who received VIT at Boston Children's Hospital from 1996 through 2018. Information on venom testing, severity of reaction to insect field sting, and SRs to VIT were retrieved.

A total of 78 patients were included. Most had moderate to severe reactions to insect sting before VIT. The rate of SRs was 0.2% of injection visits, occurring in 9% of patients. The SRs from VIT were mild (mostly grade 1 and some grade 2), and no grades 3, 4, or 5 reactions were seen. Male sex was a significant risk factor for moderate to severe reactions to insect sting. Positive testing to vespinae was seen in 98.7% of patients, and none had exclusive sensitivity to honeybee. The severity of the initial, pre-VIT insect sting reactions in our patients did not correlate with the occurrence of SRs from VIT. Twenty-seven percent of the patients were subsequently stung while on VIT. Only 1 patient (5%) had a mild SR, while all others had only local or no reaction at all.

In the largest US study evaluating the safety of VIT in children, SRs to VIT were mild, and none required epinephrine. Male sex was significantly associated with higher risk of moderate to severe reactions to insect sting. Larger multicenter studies are needed to further evaluate the rate of SRs to VIT in pediatric patients.