House dust mite allergy: The importance of house dust mite allergens for diagnosis and immunotherapy

House dust mite (HDM) allergy belongs to the most important allergies and affects approximately 65-130 million people worldwide. Additionally, untreated HDM allergy may lead to the development of severe disease mani-festations such as atopic dermatitis or asthma. Diagnosis and immunotherapy of HDM allergic patients are well established but are often hampered by the use of mite extracts that are of bad quality and lack important al-lergens. The use of individual allergens seems to be a promising alternative to natural allergen extracts, since they represent well-defined components that can easily be produced and quantified. However, a thorough characterization of the individual allergens is required to determine their clinical relevance and to identify those allergens that are required for correct diagnosis of HDM allergy and for successful immunotherapy. This review gives an update on the individual HDM allergens and their benefits for diagnosis and immunotherapy of HDM allergic patients.

Automated summary

House dust mite (HDM) allergy is a significant global health concern, affecting approximately 65-130 million people worldwide and potentially leading to severe conditions like atopic dermatitis or asthma. Current diagnosis and immunotherapy methods are hindered by poor quality and inadequate allergens in mite extracts. Using individual allergens as an alternative shows promise due to their well-defined components that can be easily produced and quantified. However, thorough characterization of these individual allergens is necessary for determining their clinical relevance in diagnosing HDM allergy and ensuring successful immunotherapy.