Allergen immunotherapy in children

Specific allergen immunotherapy is the only potentially curative allergy treatment currently available. It is used in Europe and North America in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, venom allergy and asthma in children. However, following a series of deaths in the 1980s, the use of immunotherapy in the UK is limited to a small number of specialist allergy clinics. This article reviews the route of administration, safety, efficacy and indications for specific allergen immunotherapy in children. New developments in immunotherapy are discussed.