Specific immunotherapy, which is the only treatment modality to be able to modify the course of the allergic rhinitis disease, is mainly administered by two routes; subcutaneous (SCIT) and sublingual (SLIT). The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the clinical efficacy of subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy with standardized house dust mite extract (D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae) for allergic rhinitis.
Methods:
111 adult ( aged 18 – 50 ) allergic rhinitis patients monosensitized to house dust mite allergens who completed SCIT or SLIT regimen for five years were enrolled in this study. The symptom scores (sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, pruritus, postnasal drip, wheezing, ocular symptoms, cough, loss of smell) were recorded using a four-point rating scale.
Results:
Both SCIT and SLIT significantly reduced the individual symptom scores of sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, postnasal drip, pruritus, cough, loss of smell after 5-years treatment when compared with the baseline (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in decreased mean scores of the symptoms between the SCIT and the SLIT groups (p> 0.05). A significant reduction in ocular symptom scores was found in the SCIT group compared with the SLIT group. In the quality of life assessments, and treatment satisfaction questionnaires, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups. SLIT and SCIT demonstrated a significant reduction in medication scores.
Conclusions:
SLIT and SCIT both demonstrated a significant clinical improvement in allergic rhinitis patients sensitized to HDM after five years of treatment. The overall clinical efficacy was similar with SCIT and SLIT.