title: International consensus on allergy immunotherapy.
abstract: Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has been used to treat allergic disease since the early 1900s. Despite numerous clinical trials and meta-analyses proving AIT efficacious, it remains underused and is estimated to be used in less than 10% of patients with allergic rhinitis or asthma worldwide. In addition, there are large differences between regions, which are not only due to socioeconomic status. There is practically no controversy about the use of AIT in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma, but for atopic dermatitis or food allergy, the indications for AIT are not well defined. The elaboration of a wider consensus is of utmost importance because AIT is the only treatment that can change the course of allergic disease by preventing the development of asthma and new allergen sensitizations and by inducing allergen-specific immune tolerance. Safer and more effective AIT strategies are being continuously developed both through elaboration of new allergen preparations and adjuvants and alternate routes of administration. A number of guidelines, consensus documents, or both are available on both the international and national levels. The international community of allergy specialists recognizes the need to develop a comprehensive consensus report to harmonize, disseminate, and implement the best AIT practice. Consequently, the International Collaboration in Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, formed by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; and the World Allergy Organization, has decided to issue an international consensus on AIT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Wrocław Medical University, and "ALL-MED" Medical Research Institute, Wrocław, Poland. Electronic address: marek.jutel@umed.wroc.pl.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jutel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Transylvania University, Brasov, Romania.
authors.forename: Ioana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Agache
authors.affiliation: Second University of Naples and IFT-CNR, Rome, and Expert-on-Secondment European Medicines Agency, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonini
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: A Wesley
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Burks
authors.affiliation: Section of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Imperial College London, National Heart and Lung Institute, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Moises
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calderon
authors.affiliation: Allergy & Respiratory Diseases Clinic, DIMI-University of Genoa, IRCCS AOU S. Martino, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Canonica
authors.affiliation: Allergy and Asthma Center, Ft Lauderdale, Fla.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Montpellier-INSERM U657, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Demoly
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Antony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Frew
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, AMREP, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: O'Hehir
authors.affiliation: Allergy & Asthma Center Westend, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kleine-Tebbe
authors.affiliation: Department of Mother and Child Health, Padua General University Hospital, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muraro
authors.affiliation: Division of Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology, MRC and Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, King's College London, and the Children's Allergy Unit, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gideon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lack
authors.affiliation: Hospital Médica Sur, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Désirée
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Larenas
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy, School of Child and Adolescent Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.affiliation: National Jewish Health, Denver, Colo.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ruby
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pawankar
authors.affiliation: Center for Rhinology and Allergology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pfaar
authors.affiliation: Academic Medical Center, Departments of Experimental Immunology and of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Ree
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy-Immunology, and the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Allergy, Division of Asthma, Allergy & Lung Biology, King's College London, and MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alexandra F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Allergy, Division of Asthma, Allergy & Lung Biology, King's College London, and MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Du Toit
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Division of Immunodermatology and Allergy Research, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Werfel
authors.affiliation: Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gerth van Wijk
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Luo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Swiss Institute for Allergy and Asthma Research, University of Zurich, Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Cezmi A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Akdis
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects; D007391:International Cooperation; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000485:Allergens
keywords: International consensus; allergen vaccine; allergic rhinitis; allergy; asthma; atopic dermatitis; food allergy; immunotherapy