The objective of “Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity: A Practice
Parameter Update” is to improve the care for patients with stinging
insect hypersensitivity. This parameter is intended to refine
guidelines for the use and interpretation of diagnostic methods and
for the institution and implementation of measures to manage
stinging insect hypersensitivity. Particular emphasis is placed on
the appropriate use of immunotherapy with venoms (VIT) or imported fire ant whole-body extracts (WBEs).
The document “Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity: A practice
Parameter Update 2016” is the fourth iteration of this parameter.
The first was published in 1999 (Portnoy JM, Moffitt JE, Golden DB,
et al. Stinging insect hypersensitivity: a practice parameter.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999;103:963e980), and the first update
was published in 2004 (Moffitt JE, Golden DB, Reisman RE, et al.
Stinging insect hypersensitivity: a practice parameter update.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004;114:869e886), and there was an
update in 2011 highlighting advances in diagnosis and management of insect sting allergy (Golden DBK, Moffitt J, Nicklas RA,
AAAAI. Stinging insect hypersensitivity: a practice parameter
update 2011. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011;127:852e854). The
working draft of this 2016 update was prepared by a work group
chaired by David B. K. Golden, MD, and was revised and edited by
the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters. Preparation of this
draft includes a review of the recent medical literature using a
variety of search engines, such as PubMed and Ovid. Published
clinical studies were rated as defined in the preamble by category
of evidence and used to establish the strength of the recommendations in the summary statements. It was then reviewed by
experts on insect sting allergy selected by the sponsoring organizations of the AAAAI and the ACAAI, as well as being placed
online for comments from the entire membership of both organizations. On the basis of this process, this parameter represents an evidence-based document.