Real-life studies in allergen immunotherapy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Real-life (or real-world) studies can provide information that cannot be derived from randomized controlled trials. This approach is currently becoming of relevance for many treatments. In recent years, the real-life method has been applied also to allergen immunotherapy, providing new insights on it. We reviewed herein the available literature on the argument. RECENT FINDINGS: Several prospective and retrospective studies on allergen immunotherapy in the real-world setting have been published, mostly in the last 5 years. Most of them focused on adverse events, compliance, and the long term/preventive effects, and evidenced an overall favorable profile for different products and different allergens. SUMMARY: Real life study provided novel information and evidenced those aspects of immunotherapy that worth a more detailed approach, without the strict limitations usually imposed by controlled randomized trials.