Background-IL-33, a recently discovered IL-1 family cytokine, is implicated in the development of Th2-type responses in vivo. However, the cellular target(s) for IL-33 are poorly understood.

Sublingual immunotherapy SLIT is thought to have enhanced efficacy in the second year of treatment. We studied treatment efficacy in both the first and the second years of treatment 2015 and 2016, respectively in patients who began SLIT in 2014. Methods : We compared 132 patients who underwent SLIT age, 41.8 ± 17.5 years ; male to female ratio, 75 : and a control group of 56 patients who underwent primary pharmacotherapy age, 44.9 ± 13.5 years ; male to female ratio, 25 :. The study was performed during the peak pollen seasons of 2015 and 2016. Pollen dispersal was similar in 2015 and 2016 2,509 grains/cm 2 and 3,505 grains/cm 2 , respectively. The clinical efficacy of SLIT was evaluated by assessing nasal and eye symptoms and total symptoms with symptom scores and combined symptom medication scores, visual analog scale scores, and quality of life QOL scores according to the Japanese rhino conjunctivitis QOL questionnaire JRQLQ No. 1. QOL was also evaluated with JRQLQ No. 1. The first endpoint was enhanced efficacy of SLIT in the second year compared with that in the first year. Results : With respect to nasal and eye symptoms, the assessments in the primary pharmacotherapy group were unchanged in the second year ; however, most of these assessments in the SLIT group demonstrated significantly enhanced efficacy of SLIT in the second year. In QOL of SLIT, only 2 of 17 showed significantly enhanced efficacy of SLIT in the second year. Conclusion : SLIT shows enhanced efficacy in the second year.

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