title: Allergen immunotherapy and respiratory infections in children: an encouraging experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Allergic inflammation may promote respiratory infections (RI). House dust mite (HDM) sensitization is common in childhood. Allergen immunotherapy may cure allergy as it restores a physiological immune and clinical tolerance toward the causal allergen and exerts anti-inflammatory activity. This study retrospectively investigated whether 3 year high-dose HDM-sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) could affect respiratory infections in children with allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Globally, 33 HDM allergic children (18 males, mean age 9.3 years) were subdivided in 2 groups: 20 treated with symptomatic drugs alone (group 1) and 13 by high-dose SLIT, titrated in mcg of major allergens (group 2) for 3 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SLIT-treated children had significantly (P=0.01) less RI episodes (3.6) than symptomatically-treated children (5.4). In addition, SLIT-treated children had less fever (P<0.01) and took fewer medications, such as antibiotics (P<0.05) and fever-reducers (P<0.01), than symptomatically-treated children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This preliminary study suggests that high-dose 3-year SLIT might lessen RI in allergic children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barberi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Enza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'Auria
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.affiliation: Allergy/Pulmonary Rehabilitation, ICP Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristoforo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Incorvaia
authors.affiliation: Medical and Scientific Department, Stallergenes Italy, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buttafava
authors.affiliation: Medical and Scientific Department, Stallergenes Italy, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frati
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, IRCCS-Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino, Genoa, Italy - gio.cip@libero.it.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciprandi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D063729:Sublingual Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*