Safety of ultrarush venom immunotherapy: Comparison between children and adults

Background: the ultrarush protocol is an attractive approach in the buildup phase of venom immunotherapy (vit-ur). however,the degree of risk of vit-ur in children remains unknown. the objective of this study was to compare the safety of vit-ur in children and adults. methods: we performed a study based on prospectively gathered medical records of children and adults with hymenoptera venom allergy treated with vit-ur in 3 allergy centers in poland. results: the study population comprised 134 children (mean [sd] age,12.6 [3.7] years; males,70.1%) and 207 adults (mean age,42.4 [14.0] years; males,47.8%). the number of children in the subgroups of bee venom (bv) allergy and wasp venom (wv) allergy were comparable,although sensitization to wv was more predominant in the adult group (70.1%). skin reactivity to both venoms was more common in children than in adults (p<.001); however,children had higher concentrations of total ige and specific ige to bv (both p<.001). systemic allergic reactions (vit-sars) occurred in 6.2% of the patients (3.7% in children and 7.7% in adults; nonsignificant). in adults,sars occurred more frequently in patients treated with bv than wv extracts (21.4% vs 2.6%; p<.001). the same pattern was observed in children (7.2% vs 0%; p=.058). however,vit-sars to bv were less frequent in children than in adults (p=.034). similarly,no significant relationship was noted between children and adults receiving wv vit (2.6% vs 0%; nonsignificant). the severity of vit-sar did not differ between children and adults. conclusions: vit-ur is safer in children. age below 18 is not a risk factor for vit-sars. © 2016 esmon publicidad.