title: Perception and practice of sublingual immunotherapy among practicing allergists in the United States: a follow-up survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Limited information regarding current trends of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) use, perception, and prescribing patterns among allergists in the United States is available.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To obtain information about current allergist perception and practice of SLIT compared with 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  On behalf of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Immunotherapy and Diagnostics Committee, an electronic survey was sent to all practicing allergists of the ACAAI in August 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-nine of 519 US respondents (11.4%) reported experience using SLIT compared with 45 of 766 (5.9%) in 2007 (P < .001). Lack of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval was the primary barrier in using SLIT in the United States among 469 of 520 respondents (90.2%), which was increased from 471 of 763 (61.7%) in 2007 (P < .001). Among US respondents, 344 of 516 (66.7%) believed that SLIT was safer than subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) compared with 554 of 755 (73.4%) in 2007 (P < .01). In total, 22 of 51 SLIT users (43.1%) reported SLIT efficacy equal to or even greater than SCIT, which was similar to 21 of 38 (55.3%) reported in 2007 (P < .36).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rates of SLIT use reported by US respondents have nearly doubled in the last 4 years, with 11.4% of US respondents reporting SLIT use. Because the greatest barrier to SLIT use in the United States is the lack of FDA approval, it is anticipated that once an FDA-approved product is available, there will be widespread use of SLIT in the United States. Practice guidelines, which include effective dosages and schedules, will be critical to the broad implementation of SLIT in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX, USA. jeremy.sikora@wpafb.af.mil
authors.forename: Jeremy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sikora
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tankersley
mesh_terms: D000286:Administration, Sublingual; D003625:Data Collection; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D010465:Perception; D010820:Physicians; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration