Changes of Clinical Practice Patterns of Allergen Immunotherapy in Korea

Hwa Young Lee¹, Sung-Yoon Kang², Kyunghoon Kim³, Ju Hee Kim⁴, Gwanghui Ryu⁵, Jin-Young Min⁶, Kyung Hee Park⁷, So-Young Park⁸, Myongsoon Sung⁹, Youngsoo Lee¹⁰, Eun-Ae Yang¹¹, Hye Mi Jee¹², Eun Kyo Ha¹³, Yoo Seob Shin¹⁰, Yong Won Lee¹⁴, Eun Hee Chung¹⁵, Sun Hee Choi¹⁶, Young-Il Koh¹⁷, Seon Tae Kim¹⁸, Dong-Ho Nahm¹⁰, Jung Won Park⁷, Jung Yeon Shim¹⁹, Doo Hee Han²⁰, Man Yong Han¹², Sang Min Lee²¹, Jeong-Hee Choi²²; Korean Academy of Asthma Allergy and Clinical Immunology (KAAACI) working group on Allergen Immunotherapy and Allergen

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
² Division of Pulmonology and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁵ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁸ Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Gwangmyeong, Korea.
⁹ Department of Pediatrics, Soon Chun Hyang University Gumi Hospital, Gumi, Korea.
¹⁰ Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
¹¹ Department of Pediatrics, Daejeon St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon, Korea.
¹² Department of Pediatrics, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea.
¹³ Department of Pediatrics, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
¹⁴ Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Health Policy Research, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
¹⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
¹⁶ Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul, Korea.
¹⁷ Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
¹⁸ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
¹⁹ Department of Pediatrics, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²⁰ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
²² Department of Pulmonology and Allergy, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hwaseong, Korea. mdqueen@hallym.or.kr.

PMID: 40204510
PMCID: PMC11982636
DOI: 10.4168/aair.2025.17.2.271

Changes of Clinical Practice Patterns of Allergen Immunotherapy in Korea

Hwa Young Lee et al. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2025 Mar.

. 2025 Mar;17(2):271-284.

doi: 10.4168/aair.2025.17.2.271.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
² Division of Pulmonology and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁵ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁸ Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Gwangmyeong, Korea.
⁹ Department of Pediatrics, Soon Chun Hyang University Gumi Hospital, Gumi, Korea.
¹⁰ Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
¹¹ Department of Pediatrics, Daejeon St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon, Korea.
¹² Department of Pediatrics, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea.
¹³ Department of Pediatrics, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
¹⁴ Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Health Policy Research, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
¹⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
¹⁶ Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul, Korea.
¹⁷ Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
¹⁸ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
¹⁹ Department of Pediatrics, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²⁰ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
²² Department of Pulmonology and Allergy, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hwaseong, Korea. mdqueen@hallym.or.kr.

PMID: 40204510
PMCID: PMC11982636
DOI: 10.4168/aair.2025.17.2.271

Abstract

This study aimed to identify recent changes of AIT treatment behaviors in real-world clinical practice using a questionnaire survey in Korea. The questionnaire on AIT prescriptions and practical experiences was distributed to all members of the Korean Academy of Asthma Allergy and Clinical Immunology in June 2022. The responses were analyzed and compared with the results from 2009 and 2017. In total, 115 responses (10.1%) were collected; 58 (50.4%) from internal medicine, 34 (29.6%) from pediatricians, and 21 (18.3%) from otolaryngologists. The prescription rate for subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) was 53.8%, showing a decrease from those in 2009 and 2017; however, that for sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) increased steadily, reaching 17.9% in 2009, 40.3% in 2017, and 46.2% in 2022. The prescription rates for asthma and atopic dermatitis increased by 4.6% and 7.9%, respectively. The most frequently prescribed allergens for SCIT in 2022 were house dust mites (32.9%), pollen (30.6%), and animal dander (28.2%), with the rate for animal dander showing a significant increase from 10.3% in 2009. Most physicians (93%) used mixed allergens for SCIT, with 42.8% using a combination of 5 or more allergens. Fifty-eight (67.4%) respondents reported cases of anaphylaxis during SCIT and 36.2% reported systemic adverse reactions during SLIT. In conclusion, SLIT prescriptions, AIT for asthma and atopic dermatitis, and AIT with animal dander increased significantly from 2009 to 2022. Serial surveys of AIT practices are helpful in identifying the changes of real-world clinical practice of AIT.

Keywords: Allergens; allergic rhinitis; asthma; atopic dermatitis; immunotherapy; surveys and questionnaires.

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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. Reasons for not prescribing allergen immunotherapy.**

**Fig. 2. Measurement of AIT efficacy. (A) Time points and (B) preferred tests for the measurement of AIT efficacy.**
AIT, allergen immunotherapy; SCIT, subcutaneous immunotherapy; SLIT, sublingual immunotherapy; IgG, immunoglobulin G; IgE, immunoglobulin E; Mch, methacholine; MAST, multiple allergen simultaneous test.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Changes of Clinical Practice Patterns of Allergen Immunotherapy in Korea

Affiliations

Changes of Clinical Practice Patterns of Allergen Immunotherapy in Korea

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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