title: Effectiveness of Specific Sublingual Immunotherapy in Korean Patients with Atopic Dermatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with house dust mites (HDM) preparation has recently been proven to be beneficial for treating allergic rhinitis and asthma. However, there has been no report regarding the efficacy and safety of SLIT in Korean patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We intended to investigate the efficacy and safety of SLIT in Korean patients with AD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 34 patients with AD and immunoglobulin E (IgE)-proven HDM sensitization (Class ≥3) were recruited. Eczema area and severity index (EASI) score, total serum IgE level, specific IgE assays toDermatophagoides pteronyssinus,D. farinae, and adverse effects were recorded during follow-up. "Responder" was defined as a patient with ≥30% improvement in EASI score after SLIT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-three patients continued SLIT for 12 months or more, whereas 3 patients (8.8%) dropped out because of exacerbation of dermatitis, and 8 patients (23.5%) were lost to follow-up. The average duration of SLIT treatment was 22.4 months (range, 12~32 months). EASI scores reduced significantly after 6 months of treatment (p<0.05) compared with those at baseline. A total of 18 patients were determined to be responders to SLIT after 6 months. Total and specific IgE serum levels did not significantly reduce after SLIT. No patients experienced serious adverse events, with the exception of two patients who developed transient lip and tongue swelling.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrated that SLIT with HDM extracts is effective and tolerable in Korean patients with AD. Further controlled long-term trials are required to reinforce the current results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyang-Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Gun-Wook
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Ho
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Jeong
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Je-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Mun
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hoon-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Chang
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.; Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Moon-Bum
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.; Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Atopic dermatitis; House dust mites; Sublingual immunotherapy