Efficacy of Sublingual Immunotherapy in Polysensitized Allergic Rhinitis Patients
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2010-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Recently, interest has increased in sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for treating allergic
rhinitis. It is often suggested that polysensitized patients might not benefit from specific
immunotherapy as much as monosensitized patients, although further research on this subject
is needed. This study compared the efficacy of SLIT with standardized house dust mite extract
in mono- and polysensitized allergic rhinitis patients.
Patients who were sensitized to house dust mites and treated with SLIT for house dust mites
for at least 1 year between November 2007 and March 2010 were included. The mono-allergen
sensitized group (Mgr) was defined as the patients who were sensitized to Dermatophagoides
pteronyssinus (Dp) or D. farinae (Df; n = 70). The poly-allergen sensitized group (Pgr) was
defined as the patients who were simultaneously sensitized to house dust mites and other
allergens (n = 64). A standardized extract of house dust mites was used for immunotherapy.
Anti-allergic medication and the total nasal symptom score (TNSS), including rhinorrhea,
sneezing, nasal obstruction, and itchy nose, were evaluated before and 1 year after SLIT.
This study enrolled 134 patients. The TNSS improved significantly after SLIT in both groups,
while the change in the TNSS did not differ significantly between the groups. The
anti-allergic medication scores also decreased significantly in both groups, but there was no
significant difference between the groups.
In polysensitized allergic rhinitis patients, SLIT for Dp/Df gave comparable improvements in
both nasal symptoms and rescue medication scores to those in monosensitized patients,
regardless of other positive allergens. SLIT for Dp/Df might be considered in polysensitized
allergic rhinitis patients.