title: Effect of specific immunotherapy in Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergic children.
abstract: The effect of immunotherapy on 21 Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt)-sensitive patients (15 children with extrinsic asthma and six children with extrinsic asthma plus allergic rhinitis) aged 8.9 +/- 0.71 years was studied. Their subjective and objective respiratory symptom score was recorded before beginning and after the first year of immunotherapy. The respiratory subjective symptoms, such as cough day/night, running nose, sputum production, sneezing, shortness of breath at night and asthma attacks, decreased significantly from pretreatment level (P < 0.05). The objective symptoms, such as wheezing, dyspnea with prolonged expiration, sibilant rales and retractions score, gradually decreased during treatment (P < 0.01). Total eosinophil count decreased in 76.2% of patients after immunotherapy (P < 0.01). While total immunoglobulin E (IgE) decreased in 81% of patients and specific IgE for Dpt decreased in 90.5% of patients, specific IgG for Dpt increased in 76% of patient (P < 0.001). Our results suggested that rising IgG and falling IgE values do not always coexist in the patients who benefit from immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Cukurova University, Department of Child Health, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Köker
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guneşer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Altintas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kozanoglu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology*; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000628:therapy*