Table 2.

key issues

• The issue of the health of the elderly has become a topic in modern medicine as older people represent the most rapidly expanding part of the population and reached the highest levels in the history • Immediate hypersensitivity (type I) is the most common immunological disease. It represents the most widespread and fast growing chronic human health condition in people aged 15th years and older in industrialized countries. About 25% of the population is affected, with manifestations which range from only irritating to severe life-threatening conditions • Allergic diseases are mostly caused by inhalant allergens, in particular mold and pollens and climate changes modify their deployment and amount • The onset of allergic diseases in older people is driven by immunosenescence, the changes of immune function observed with aging and tissue structure modifications typical of advanced age. Concurrent diseases, drug polytherapy and adverse drug reactions could be frequent complications • The contribution of epigenetic regulation to allergic diseases is a crucial topic. Discovering and validating epigenetic biomarkers linking exposure to allergic diseases could help to a better definition of risk, prognosis, response to therapy and development of novel treatments • Collaborative translational and interdisciplinary research is needed to identify new biomarkers of disease, accounting for the unique phenotypic makeup of the elderly allergic and for the immunological and physiological changes associated with the natural process of aging that affect diagnosis and management