title: Sublingual immunotherapy: an update.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sublingual immunotherapy is now officially accepted as a viable alternative to the traditional subcutaneous route, and it is widely used especially in European countries. Despite the large amount of experimental evidence on the safety and efficacy of the method, some concerns still exist, and several aspects need to be clarified: magnitude of the efficacy, adherence, long-lasting effect and others. Recently published studies have provided answers to some of these points.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most recent studies have shown that sublingual immunotherapy exerts a long-lasting effect up to 5 years after discontinuation and that it is able to prevent the onset of new sensitizations. Moreover, when systematically assessed, the adherence to treatment is quite satisfactory, despite the treatment being self-administered. In addition, evidence has been provided that sublingual immunotherapy is effective in treating allergic conjunctivitis, and a metaanalysis has confirmed its efficacy in rhinitis. Moreover, some studies have addressed the possibility of simplifying the schedule of administration by shortening the build-up phase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More and more new data on sublingual immunotherapy are rapidly appearing in the international literature. These data confirm the clinical value of this treatment and show that it is comparable to subcutaneous immunotherapy from several points of view.
authors.affiliation: Allergy & Respiratory Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. passalacqua@unige.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Passalacqua
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: Giorgio Walter
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Canonica
mesh_terms: D000286:Administration, Sublingual; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome