Successful management of mite-allergic asthma with modified extracts of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
BACKGROUND
Mite sensitivity is highly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, such as the Canary Islands.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of a depigmented polymerized allergen vaccine containing a 50% mixture of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae.


METHODS
Sixty-four patients participated in the study. It was prospective, double-blind, and placebo-controlled, with random allocation of patients to receive active treatment or placebo. The active group received a mixture of modified allergen extracts containing 50% D pteronyssinus and 50% D farinae; the control group received placebo. All individuals were diagnosed with mild/moderate asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis caused by sensitization to D pteronyssinus and D farinae. Bronchial provocation test (BPT) was considered the main outcome to document clinical efficacy.


RESULTS
Fifty-four patients completed the study. The active group experienced a significant improvement in BPT (P < .001), whereas the placebo group did not (P = .648). At the end of the study, 20 patients in the active versus 9 in the placebo group (P = .013; odds ratio, 5.71 [1.76, 18.51]) needed more than twice the amount of allergen to obtain a positive BPT. The median improvement in the active group over placebo was 53.76% in total symptom and 58.09% in medication scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Immunotherapy with a mixture of modified allergen extracts of D pteronyssinus and D farinae is safe and efficacious to treat mite-allergic asthma.


CONCLUSIONS
This immunotherapy modifies the natural course of the illness because it improves all clinical outcomes measured and prevents the worsening of specific bronchial hyperreactivity.
García-Robaina
José-Carlos
JC
Servicio de Alergia, Hospital Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Madrid, Spain.
Sánchez
Inmaculada
I
de la Torre
Fernando
F
Fernández-Caldas
Enrique
E
Casanovas
Miguel
M
D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D040001:Dermatophagoides farinae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D040002:Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000485:Allergens; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides; D014020:Tissue Extracts