The relationship between autoimmunity and specific immunotherapy for allergic diseases

Abstract

The aim of this study was to perform a 20-year post-specific immunotherapy (SIT) observational evaluation for an assessment of any manifestations of autoimmune disease or the appearance of autoantibodies in serum. In total, 1,888 patients (902 women and 986 men) were observed. The mean age of the patients was 34.1 §12.4 y at the start of the prospective observation after finishing SIT. New incidences of autoimmune disease and/or the presence of autoantibodies in serum were monitored. The SIT group was compared with control groups consisting of allergic patients who had very received SIT and with non-allergic subjects. There were no significant differences in the autoimmune disease prevalence between the allergic patients with or without SIT. However, significantly higher prevalence of 4 different autoimmune diseases (AID) were observed in the non-allergic patients during the same period. Additionally, the incidence of 8 different autoantibodies was significantly higher in non-allergic patients than in control subjects. Hashimoto disease was the most common autoimmune disease observed. The results of this longterm observational study indicated a lack of a significant prevalence of new instances of autoimmune disease during 20 y of observation post-SIT and at a rate lower than that of non-allergic control subjects, suggesting that SIT is safe in this regard in the long term.

Allergic rhinitis, allergic contact dermatitis and disease comorbidity belong to separate entities with distinct composition of T-cell subsets, cytokines, immunoglobulins and autoantibodies

“…The presence of autoantibodies in serum reflects leakiness of central and/or peripheral tolerance and may lead to the manifestation of autoimmune diseases [ 24 ]. A plethora of evidence has suggested that serum autoantibodies participate in the progress of allergic diseases [ 55 , 56 ]. We confirmed that a higher incidence of AR patients presented with autoantibodies in blood samples, with histones as the prevalent antigen, which is congruent with previous studies in animal models [ 55 ].…”

Honeysuckle extract relieves ovalbumin-induced allergic rhinitis by inhibiting AR-induced inflammation and autoimmunity

“…Allergen can cause autoimmune disease such as scleroderma, arthritis and rhinitis [40,41]. Immunotherapy is used to treat AR, and immunotherapy of AR affects B-cell differentiation and decreases B-cell sensibility [42].…”

Nanoparticle-based non-viral CRISPR delivery for enhanced immunotherapy

“…Immunotherapy can be applied to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and allergic diseases by activating or regulating these immune cells depending on the condition of the disease. 48,49 Recently, immune checkpoint blockade and CAR T-cell therapy have been approved by the FDA as promising cancer therapy methods. Since CRISPR can precisely edit the target genes of immune cells, its application could further extend the potential of immunotherapy.…”