Journal of Diabetes Medication & Care

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Stings by Hymenoptera insects are relatively common in the population and may lead to a range of reactions from mild and local symptoms to life-threatening anaphylaxis. In Europe mainly honeybee (Apis mellifera) and wasp (US nomenclature: yellow jacket, Vespula germanica and vulgaris) are responsible for those incidents . The allergy to Hymenoptera venom affects around 15–30% of the general population (as confirmed by skin prick tests or sIgE) and the frequency of systemic reactions due to Hymenoptera venom allergy varies between 0.35 to 4%. The incidents of fatalities due to stings are estimated at 0.03 to 0.48 deaths per 1 000 000 citizens per year. Venom immunotherapy (VIT) represents an effective causative treatment for these patients preventing further sting-induced anaphylactic reactions. Immunotherapy may be associated with a risk of local and systemic side effects. Adverse recctions during venom immunotherapy are relatively common and are reported in up to 50% of patients, mostly during the build-up phase. Systemic reactions occur in 12% to 30% of subjects undergoing VIT, which results in a common belief that VIT is potentially dangerous. As a consequence, a limited access to this life-saving procedure may be seen. What is striking, a high level of variations (0–46%) and inconsistency in the side-effects frequency is reported in the literature. Moreover, there are just a few comprehensive studies dedicated to this topic.  

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