Hymenoptera venom allergy is a growing problem in
Spain. This problem has a special relevance in areas where
population is frequently exposed to
hymenoptera stings, being paediatric
patients a high
risk population.
Immunotherapy with
hymenoptera venom is an effective and safe
treatment for these
patients. However, there is a lack of data on the
role of this treatmenton paediatric
population. For this reason, from the data base of the
Allergy Unit from
Hospital Xeral (Lugo,
Spain) which includes 560
patients, have been analyzed the 21 paediatric
patients, all of them treated with
venom immunotherapy.Eighteen
patients completed the
treatment. The
maintenance dose administered was 100 mg. Two systemic reactions (both with an
Apis extract) were registered. Cutaneous test and specific
IgE shown a statistical significant reduction at the end of
treatment (p = .0004 and p < .0001respectively). Seven
patients (33 %) suffered a spontaneous re-stung during
maintenance phase or after
immunotherapy was completed. In 4
patients there was no
allergic reaction and the other 3
children suffered a mild local reaction.In conclusion,
venom immunotherapy is a safe and effective
treatment in paediatric
patients with
hymenoptera venom allergy, being necessary to increase the experience on this specific segment of the allergic
population (AU)