title: [A clinical evaluation of clustered immunotherapy in house-dust-mite-sensitive adult bronchial asthma].
abstract: Clustered immunotherapy (C-IT) using house-dust (HD) antigen was performed in eight HD-mite-sensitive adult bronchial asthmatics. Six mg of mequitazine was given 2 hours before each visit. For each visit, injections of antigen were performed four times with an hour interval. Either 0.1 ml of 10-fold concentration of the HD or a final dose at the end of the fifth week was determined as a maintenance dose. All cases have reached to ten-fold concentration of the HD antigen within 5 weeks and been able to introduce maintenance therapy without any systemic reaction. Following C-IT, a rapid increase in morning peak expiratory flow rate was observed which is followed by decrease in clinical scores. Furthermore, an increase in mite-specific IgG4 antibody and a decrease in peripheral blood eosinophils were observed 16 weeks following C-IT. These results suggest that C-IT using HD antigen can be performed safely and securely and provides rapid immunological responses as well as clinical benefit in HD-mite-sensitive adult asthmatics.
authors.affiliation: Division of Internal Medicine, Ogawa Redcross Hospital.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagata
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D004391:Dust