Sublingual immunotherapy with house dust extract for house dust-mite allergic rhinitis in children.
BACKGROUND
House dust extract is used in conventional immunotherapy for house dust-mite (HDM) allergic rhinitis in Japan. However, an alternative administration route is desired. The aims of the present double blind, placebo-controlled trial were to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with house dust extract in pediatric patients with HDM allergic rhinitis.


METHODS
The study population comprised 31 subjects (21 males and 10 females) aged from 7 to 15 years old. Twenty patients (the active group) received house dust extract and 11 received placebo via sublingual administration. Extract or placebo (1 ml) was administered at 10-fold dilution once weekly for 40 weeks. During the study period, the subjects recorded their daily nasal symptoms and use (dose and frequency) of other medications in a nasal allergy diary.


RESULTS
The symptom scores in the active group began to decrease about 24 weeks after initiation of treatment and significant differences between the active and placebo groups were observed after 30 weeks. The average scores for the last four weeks of the study were significantly lower than those for the first four weeks in the active group but not in the placebo group. The only local adverse effect was a bitter taste reported by one patient. There were no other local or systemic adverse effects associated with SLIT.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that SLIT with house dust extract for more than 30 weeks is safe and effective treatment for HDM allergic rhinitis in children.
Yonekura
Syuji
S
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Chiba University, Japan. syuji-130@umin.ac.jp
Okamoto
Yoshitaka
Y
Sakurai
Daiju
D
Horiguchi
Shigetoshi
S
Hanazawa
Toyoyuki
T
Nakano
Atsuko
A
Kudou
Fumiyo
F
Nakamaru
Yuji
Y
Honda
Kohei
K
Hoshioka
Akira
A
Shimojo
Naoki
N
Kohno
Yoichi
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D002457:Cell Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic; D018450:Disease Progression; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013651:Taste Disorders / Q000209:etiology
D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides; D002457:Cell Extracts