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. 2014 Nov;6(6):535-40.
doi: 10.4168/aair.2014.6.6.535. Epub 2014 May 27.

Long-term Effects of Specific Allergen Immunotherapy Against House Dust Mites in Polysensitized Patients With Allergic Rhinitis

Sang Hoon Kim  1 , Seung Youp Shin  1 , Kun Hee Lee  1 , Sung Wan Kim  1 , Joong Saeng Cho  1
Affiliations

Long-term Effects of Specific Allergen Immunotherapy Against House Dust Mites in Polysensitized Patients With Allergic Rhinitis

Sang Hoon Kim et al. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2014 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only currently available treatment to modify the natural history of allergic rhinitis (AR). If patients are polysensitized, it is difficult to identify the allergen causing the allergic symptoms. We evaluated the effectiveness of immunotherapy against house dust mites (HDMs) in AR patients polysensitized to both HDMs and seasonal allergens.

Methods: Thirty AR patients polysensitized to both HDMs and seasonal allergens (group A) and 30 patients sensitized to HDMs only (group B) were enrolled in this study. All subjects who received immunotherapy against HDMs for more than 2 years were evaluated by the multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST) to determine the specific IgE level in luminescence units, total eosinophil counts in peripheral blood, serum total IgE, total nasal symptom scores, and the rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) before and after immunotherapy.

Results: There were no statistical differences in levels of total and specific IgE, or total eosinophil count between the two groups. The total nasal symptom scores, RQLQ and medication scores significantly decreased after immunotherapy in both groups, however no significant differences were noted between the two groups.

Conclusions: We determined that the primary causative allergen of AR in Seoul, Korea is perennial allergens, such as HDMs, rather than seasonal allergens. This study provides a reference for the selection of allergens to use in immunotherapy for polysensitized AR patients living in an urban environment.

Keywords: Immunotherapy; allergic rhinitis; house dust mite; polysensitization.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no financial or other issues that might lead to conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of patients with severe allergic rhinitis symptoms during the season (*P<0.05).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of total nasal symptom scores pre- and post-treatment between Groups A and B (*P<0.05).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of RQLQ scores pre- and post-treatment between Groups A and B (*P<0.05).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Comparison of mean medication scores pre- and post-treatment between groups A and B (*P<0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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