Therapeutic effect of 3 years mite sublingual immunotherapy in pediatric patients with allergic rhinitis

Abstract

We studied the therapeutic effects of 61 pediatric patients who continued mite sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for 3 years. From our own evaluation table using in daily clinical practice, we investigated 21 Visual Analog Scale (VAS) -items about rhinitis and its related symptoms and 17 VAS-items of side reactions and 5 questions about treatment adherence. These were retrospectively investigated at the beginning of treatment, 1,2, and 3 years after treatment. At the start of treatment, "stuffy nose" had the highest median VAS score, followed by "itchy skin." The 11 items such as nasal, skin, and eye symptoms showed significant changes between observation time points, and were significantly decreased at all time points compared to the start of treatment. The total number of adverse reactions at the start of treatment was 35, and after 3 years of treatment was 20. Adverse reactions related to the oral cavity were frequently observed throughout the observation period. Regarding the difficulty of treatment, 1 respondent answered "painful" and 4 responded that it was "a little painful" in the third year of treatment. While the continuation of sublingual immunotherapy for 3 years in children is effective in improving nasal symptoms, some patients complain of side reactions and difficulties in treatment, and continuous support for each patient is desired.