Table 3.

Future perspective

• New and detailed epidemiological research is needed. Most studies on allergy prevalence were conducted in childhood than in adulthood, when immune-senescence, concurrent diseases, polytherapy and adverse drug reactions could be frequent confounding factors and could potentially impact on diagnosis, assessment and management. • Research in the field needs to focus on both human and animal model systems to investigate the impact of the aging process on the immunologic pathways underpinning allergy and its different facets. • Particular attention must be paid to diagnostic tools. The same diagnostic tests and clinical findings applied in young are used to diagnose allergy in older people, but interpreting clinical data becomes more difficult in the elderly. Future research should also address the identification of possible new biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis in the elderly. While new standardization of old diagnostic procedure is essential in a geriatric setting. • The contribution of epigenetic regulation to allergic diseases is another crucial topic that needs to be further investigated. The identification of more specific biomarkers and key pathogenic molecules will add valuable insights into molecular networks operative in allergic diseases in the elderly. Moreover, it could be the base for both discovering potential mechanisms linking environment and epigenetics, and for modern therapeutic approaches. Indeed, new treatment strategies must be developed: translational investigation of novel therapeutic targets must be pursued.