Source: Eye  |  Posted 8 years ago

Sublingual immunotherapy is not only effective in children with allergic asthma/rhinitis, but it also maintains clinical efficacy for four to five years after therapy is discontinued, Italian researchers report.

Mean peak expiratory-flow results proved to be significantly higher 10 years later in children treated with sublingual immunotherapy, compared to children treated with drugs only.

Investigators, led by Dr. V. Di Rienzo from Clinica Villa Benedetta in Rome, explain that subcutaneous immunotherapy for respiratory allergy has demonstrated long-lasting efficacy after discontinuation. There has been no evidence for sublingual immunotherapy, despite its wide use, they add.

Sixty children, mean age 8.5 years, were enrolled in a prospective, parallel-group controlled study. Sublingual immunotherapy was administered to 35 children for four to five years. The other 25 children received drug therapy only.

Participants were evaluated for asthma and use of anti-asthma drugs at baseline, at the end of immunotherapy and four to five years after immunotherapy had been discontinued. They had skin-prick and specific immunoglobin E (IgE) tests.

Compared with baseline, children who had had sublingual immunotherapy demonstrated significant differences for both asthma and use of asthma medications. No differences were seen in the drug-therapy children.

Children in the drug therapy group had a nearly significant increase from baseline in specific IgE, however.