Joanna Lange1, Ewa Cichocka-Jarosz2, Honorata Marczak3, Agnieszka Krauze3, Izabela Tarczoń2, Ewa Świebocka4, Grzegorz Lis2, Piotr Brzyski5, Anna Nowak-Węgrzyn6. 1. Department of Pediatric Pneumonology and Allergy, Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: joanna_lange@wp.pl. 2. Department of Pulmonology, Allergy, Dermatology, Jagiellonian University Medical College Kraków, Poland. 3. Department of Pediatric Pneumonology and Allergy, Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. 4. Department of Pediatrics, Children's Gastroenterology and Allergology, Medical University, Bialystok, Poland. 5. Department of Medical Sociology, Chair of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland. 6. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, New York, New York.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Differences in treatment approach still exist for children after systemic sting reactions. In addition, there are still some doubts about when systemic reactors should be treated with venom immunotherapy (VIT). OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of sting recurrence and natural history of Hymenoptera venom allergy (HVA) in children not treated with VIT. METHODS: A total of 219 children diagnosed as having HVA who were not treated with VIT were identified in 3 pediatric allergology centers. Survey by telephone or mail with the use of a standardized questionnaire was conducted. The number of field re-stings, subsequent symptoms, and provided treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 130 of the 219 patients responded to the survey, for a response rate of 59.4%. During the median follow-up period of 72 months (interquartile range, 52-85 months), 44 children (77% boys) were stung 62 times. Normal reactions were most common, occurring in 27 patients (62%). Severe systemic reactions (SSRs) occurred in 8 (18%) of those who were re-stung. The subsequent reaction was significantly milder (P < 0.001), especially in the case of patients re-stung by the same insect (P < .001). None of the children with prediagnostic large local reactions and negative test results for venom specific IgE developed SSRs after re-sting by the culprit insect (P = .03). In children with SSRs, median time from diagnosis to re-sting was 2 times longer than that in those with large local reactions and normal reactions (P = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Most children with HVA not treated with VIT reported milder reactions after a re-sting. Probability of SSR to re-sting increases along with the severity of initial reaction.
BACKGROUND: Differences in treatment approach still exist for children after systemic sting reactions. In addition, there are still some doubts about when systemic reactors should be treated with venom immunotherapy (VIT). OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of sting recurrence and natural history of Hymenoptera venom allergy (HVA) in children not treated with VIT. METHODS: A total of 219 children diagnosed as having HVA who were not treated with VIT were identified in 3 pediatric allergology centers. Survey by telephone or mail with the use of a standardized questionnaire was conducted. The number of field re-stings, subsequent symptoms, and provided treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 130 of the 219 patients responded to the survey, for a response rate of 59.4%. During the median follow-up period of 72 months (interquartile range, 52-85 months), 44 children (77% boys) were stung 62 times. Normal reactions were most common, occurring in 27 patients (62%). Severe systemic reactions (SSRs) occurred in 8 (18%) of those who were re-stung. The subsequent reaction was significantly milder (P < 0.001), especially in the case of patients re-stung by the same insect (P < .001). None of the children with prediagnostic large local reactions and negative test results for venom specific IgE developed SSRs after re-sting by the culprit insect (P = .03). In children with SSRs, median time from diagnosis to re-sting was 2 times longer than that in those with large local reactions and normal reactions (P = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Most children with HVA not treated with VIT reported milder reactions after a re-sting. Probability of SSR to re-sting increases along with the severity of initial reaction.
Authors: Aldian I Amaruddin; Jan Pieter R Koopman; Munawir Muhammad; Serge A Versteeg; Sitti Wahyuni; Ronald van Ree; Maria Yazdanbakhsh; Firdaus Hamid; Erliyani Sartono Journal: Int Arch Allergy Immunol Date: 2021-05-05 Impact factor: 2.749