A randomized trial of subcutaneous allergy immunotherapy in inner-city children with asthma less than 4 years of age.

Background: Allergic sensitization to environmental allergens in the first years of life is a strong predictor of asthma morbidity in children. Allergy immunotherapy can improve asthma and allergy outcomes, but its efficacy in inner-city, atopic children of less than 4 years of age with recurrent wheezing has not yet been established.

Objective: To determine whether subcutaneous allergy immunotherapy improves asthma in a population of US inner-city children when started at less than 4 years of age.

Discordance between aeroallergen specific serum IgE and skin testing in children younger than 4 years.

Background: Atopic sensitization to aeroallergens in early life has been found to be a strong risk factor for the development of persisting asthma in young children with recurrent wheeze.

Objective: To assess the yield of skin prick test (SPT) compared with allergen specific serum IgE (sIgE) testing at identifying aeroallergen sensitization in atopic children younger than 4 years.

Methods: Concordance between SPT and allergen-specific sIgE testing for 7 common aeroallergens was analyzed in 40 atopic inner-city children 18 to 48 months of age (mean [SD], 36 [9] months) with recurrent wheezing and family history of asthma and/or eczema.