title: Homeopathic therapy in pediatric atopic diseases: short- and long-term results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the outcomes of atopic diseases in children treated with homeopathy at the Homeopathic Clinic of Lucca (Italy) and related long-term results after approximately an 8-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our data derive from an observational longitudinal study carried out on 857 pediatric patients who consecutive visited from 1998 to 2014. Children with atopic diseases were 325 (37.9%), 126 (39%) suffered from atopic dermatitis, 72 (22%) from allergic rhinitis, and 127 (39%) from asthma. Moreover, a long-term study was conducted on a subset of 107/165 patients, consecutively visited from 1998 to 2006, and with ≥5 years follow-up. The study also investigated the evolution of overall symptoms in those patients with a complex atopic symptomatology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  75.8% of atopic children had moderate or major improvement (67.1% with asthma as the primary disease; 84.2% rhinitis; 84.2% dermatitis). At re-evaluation after 5-10 years, complete remission of atopic symptoms was obtained in 70.1% of the children: 84.2% in dermatitis; 48.1% in allergic rhinitis; 71.4% in asthma. Children with two or three atopic diseases at the first visit were completely cured in 40% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results seem to confirm that homeopathic medicine produces positive therapeutic response in atopic children.
authors.affiliation: Homeopathic Clinic, Campo di Marte Hospital, Local Health Unit No. 2, Lucca, Italy. Electronic address: omeopatia@usl2.toscana.it.
authors.forename: Elio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Homeopathic Clinic, Campo di Marte Hospital, Local Health Unit No. 2, Lucca, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Picchi
authors.affiliation: Homeopathic Clinic, Campo di Marte Hospital, Local Health Unit No. 2, Lucca, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bartoli
authors.affiliation: Homeopathic Clinic, Campo di Marte Hospital, Local Health Unit No. 2, Lucca, Italy.
authors.forename: Marialessandra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panozzo
authors.affiliation: Homeopathic Clinic, Campo di Marte Hospital, Local Health Unit No. 2, Lucca, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cervino
authors.affiliation: Homeopathic Clinic, Campo di Marte Hospital, Local Health Unit No. 2, Lucca, Italy.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nurra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006705:Homeopathy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Asthma; Atopic diseases; Dermatitis; Homeopathy; Short and long term results