title: Treatment of atopic dermatitis with a combination of allergen-specific immunotherapy and a histamine-immunoglobulin complex.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Allergic responses to common environmental agents are believed to be involved in the development of atopic dermatitis, but clinical usefulness of allergen-specific immunotherapy in the treatment of atopic dermatitis is controversial. We performed a pilot study to evaluate the clinical usefulness of combined treatment with allergen-specific immunotherapy and a histamine-immunoglobulin complex in patients with atopic dermatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with atopic dermatitis and hypersensitivity to house dust mites whose clinical conditions had not been effectively controlled by current standard medical therapies were treated with a combination of allergen-specific immunotherapy using house dust mite extract and a histamine-immunoglobulin complex for 12 months. The primary efficacy outcome was the change in the standardized clinical severity scoring system for atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) values at 6 and 12 months in comparison with the values at baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 18 patients who completed all 12 months of treatment, the SCORAD values significantly decreased from 43.6 +/- 15.9 at baseline to 27.8 +/- 18.3 at 6 months and 18.3 +/- 14.9 at 12 months (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, p < 0.001), and no significant systemic side effects were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this uncontrolled pilot study, combined treatment with allergen-specific immunotherapy and a histamine-immunoglobulin complex resulted in significant clinical improvements in patients with atopic dermatitis. However, double-blind placebo-controlled studies are necessary to test the clinical usefulness of this modified allergen-specific immunotherapy for atopic dermatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Ho
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Nahm
authors.forename: Eun So
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Han-Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyoun-Ah
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Gil-Soon
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sook-Yeong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006632:Histamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D006632:Histamine