title: Allergen immunotherapy for the prevention of allergic disease: protocol for a systematic review.
abstract: The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is in the process of developing the EAACI Guidelines for Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT) for the Prevention of Allergic Disease. We seek to critically assess the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and safety of AIT in the prevention of allergic disease.
  
  
  
  We will undertake a systematic review, which will involve searching international biomedical databases for published, in progress and unpublished evidence. Studies will be independently screened against pre-defined eligibility criteria and critically appraised using established instruments. Data will be descriptively and, if possible and appropriate, quantitatively synthesized.
  
  
  
  The findings from this review will be used to inform the development of recommendations for EAACI's Guidelines on AIT.
authors.affiliation: Evidence-Based Health Care Ltd, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Sangeeta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhami
authors.affiliation: Systematic Review at Decision Resources Group Abacus International, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Ulugbek
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nurmatov
authors.affiliation: Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halken
authors.affiliation: Section of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Imperial College London, National Heart and Lung Institute, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Moises A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Calderón
authors.affiliation: The Referral Centre for Food Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment Veneto Region, Department of Mother and Child Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muraro
authors.affiliation: The David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre, St Mary's Hospital, Newport Isle of Wight, NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Allergy, MRC & Asthma Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, Division of Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology, King's College London and St Thomas NHS Foundation trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: George Du
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Toit
authors.affiliation: Allergy & Asthma Center Westend, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kleine-Tebbe
authors.affiliation: Hospital Medica Sur, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Desiree
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Larenas-Linnemann
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Pediatric Pneumonology and Immunology, Charité Medical University, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: AG Molecular Allergology and Immunomodulation, Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Immunology, Charité Medical University, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Paolo Maria
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Matricardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pajno
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.|Allergy Department, 2nd Pediatric Clinic, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery University Hospital, Mannheim and Center for Rhinology and Allergology, Wiesbaden, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pfaar
authors.affiliation: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Dermot
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Allergy, Division of Asthma Allergy and Lung Biology, King's College London/Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Alexandra F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Anaphylaxis Networks, Netherlands, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Timmermanns
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Pediatric Pneumonology and Immunology, Charité University Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wahn
authors.affiliation: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheikh
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000592:standards*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D005062:European Union; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic
keywords: allergen immunotherapy; allergic diseases; allergy; atopic; prevention; sensitization