Oral and sublingual immunotherapy in paediatric patients.
OBJECTIVE
Sublingual immunotherapy is becoming a routine treatment for respiratory allergy in several countries and it has been validated in international documents. This article will review the available literature on oral and sublingual immunotherapy, discussing the possible use of sublingual immunotherapy in paediatric patients.


RESULTS
As oral immunotherapy was found to be poorly effective in clinical trials, its use has been discontinued. In contrast, several controlled studies have shown the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic asthma and rhinitis, and a postmarketing survey has confirmed its safety. Moreover, new data on the long-lasting efficacy of this treatment and on the absence of local immunological effects have recently been published.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical efficacy and the optimal safety profile of sublingual immunotherapy make it a good candidate for treating respiratory allergy in children. Some aspects, such as the dose-response relationship and preventive effect, will be a research challenge for future developments and better definition of indications in children.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy.
Giovanni
G
Passalacqua
Carlos E
CE
Baena-Cagnani
Michele
M
Berardi
Giorgio Walter
GW
Canonica
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000286:Administration, Sublingual; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome