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JACI Highlights - June 2009Take the sting out of large local reactions to insectsAllergic reactions to insect stings can cause extreme local swelling lasting a week or more. Venom immunotherapy prevents life-threatening anaphylaxis but is not recommended for large local reactions. To determine whether venom immunotherapy can also prevent large local reactions, Golden et al. enrolled 29 subjects; initially, 19 received venom immunotherapy and 10 did not. All of the subjects had a test sting before the study, after 7-11 weeks (when the full dose of venom immunotherapy was reached), and then once a year. The authors found that after 7-11 weeks, the size and duration of large local reactions decreased 42% and 53%, respectively, in treated patients and 18% in the control group. All 29 patients then received venom immunotherapy for up to 4 years. The response was similar after 1 year and was even better in years 2 to 4, with 60% and 70% improvement in size and duration, respectively. The authors’ findings, published in the June 2009 issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, show that venom immunotherapy prevents large local reactions to Hymenoptera stings and may be considered for patients who have frequent and severe sting reactions. The authors recommend further research to refine this treatment and to learn how the treatment works for this kind of reaction. “Venom immunotherapy reduces large local reactions to insect stings” by Golden et al. (JACI June 2009 Volume 123 No. 6) |
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