From child to adult: Putting the patient first and foremost.

When does a child become an adult? Transition does not happen at a particular instance, yet many health systems are poorly designed to acknowledge that transition from childhood to adult is a process which occurs over many years, as highlighted in this issue by a new Guideline from the EAACI Task Force on Adolescents and Young Adults.2 In many clinics in Europe, "paediatrics" stops at age 16 - at the very time when young people are undergoing the greatest changes in their lives. It is therefore not surprising that the World Health Organisation defines "young people" to include adults up to age 25 years.3.