title: Effect of AIT in children including potential to prevent the development of asthma.
abstract: Allergy specific immunotherapy may alter the natural course of allergic disease. Thus, it is of significant importance, particularly in paediatric populations. Four studies using the grass allergy immunotherapy tablet (AIT) for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in children showed good clinical outcomes and good safety profiles. Allergic rhinoconjunctivitis often precedes asthma, and treatment with specific immunotherapy has the potential to reduce the development of asthma in children suffering from rhinoconjunctivitis. Since Grazax® AIT has been shown to induce disease modification the prevention of asthma might be hypothesised. The GAP (Grazax® Asthma Prevention) trial is investigating the asthma preventive effect of standardised grass AIT in grass allergic children with rhinoconjunctivitis without asthma. The trial is a 5-year, multicentre, multinational, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective trial for children aged 5-12 years. In a few years, the results will show if grass AIT with Grazax® can prevent the development of asthma in children suffering from allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.
authors.affiliation: Suomen Terveystalo Allergy Turku Allergy Centre, Turku, Finland. erkka.valovirta@terveystalo.com
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Valovirta
mesh_terms: D000286:Administration, Sublingual; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D006109:Poaceae / Q000276:immunology*; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens