Year-Long Sublingual Allergen Immunotherapy in Children with Pollinosis

Overview

At the present time allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is the only causal intervention influencing the course ofallergic disease. It is based on the application of increasing amounts of allergen to which the patient is oversensitivewith the aim to reach the dose, which is effective in reaching diminution (disappearance) of symptoms caused bya contact with the causal allergen. The treatment is indicated in patients with allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis andin allergy to insect bite. In previous time the immunotherapy with allergens was administered parenterally. In thelast years increasing attention is paid to local (especially sublingual) route of administration. The authors describetheir own experience in one-year sublingual AIT with Staloralon in 26 patients affected by manifestations ofpollinosis. The monitoring of the disease manifestations during the pollen season revealed a significant decrease inthe occurrence of ocular (P < 0.001), nasal (P < 0.001) and skin (P < 0.01) symptoms as well as symptoms of bronchialasthma (P < 0.01). Therewas a significant improvement of ocular (P < 0.04) and nasal (P < 0.03) symptoms betweenthe second and third year of therapy, the improvement of symptoms of bronchial asthma and skin manifestationswas not significant, possibly due to a lownumber of patients in the group. The results indicate amarked therapeuticeffect of AIT in children with pollinosis, but the importance of this kind of therapy should be proved in a longerperiod of observation of the treated patients.

Key words:
allergen immunotherapy, indication and contraindication, pollinosis, children