Effectiveness of Anti-mite Allergen-specific Immunotherapy in Children with Persistent Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

The objective: to study the effectiveness of allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) in children with persistent allergic rhinitis (AR) and sensitization to house dust mite (HDM) allergens using allergens administered subcutaneously. Materials and methods. The study involved 149 children aged 5 to 17 years with AR and combined AR with bronchial asthma (BA), who were sensitized to HDM allergens, and who underwent clinical anamnestic and laboratory examination. All examined patients (89 (59.7%) boys and 60 (40.3%) girls) were divided into two groups. The first group included children who received basic therapy in combination with ASIT. The second group includes patients who received only basic AR therapy. Molecular component immunoenzymatic analysis of venous blood with the ALEX2 test system (Macro Array Diagnostics GmbH, Austria) was used to determine the profile of sensitization to HDM allergens. Sensitization to HDM allergens is established in case of detection of specific IgE levels above 0.3 kUA/L to HDM allergen molecules. Basic AR therapy included three treatment steps. Results. In children with persistent AR and sensitization to HDM allergens, during ACIT and basic therapy, positive dynamics of the severity of the main complaints according to the VAS scale were determined, starting from the 6th month of treatment. After 24 months of treatment a statistically significant (p<0.05) decrease in the severity of the main complaints was found in patients who received ASIT compared to the group with patients were prescribed only basic therapy. Conclusions. The results of the conducted research indicate the high efficiency of the use of highly polymerized extracts of allergens adsorbed on aluminum hydroxide gel for ASIT, in combination with basic therapy and measures to eradicate allergens of HDM.