Jakalski M, Bozek A, Canonica GW.
A retrospective analysis of 1624 patients with allergic rhinitis who underwent allergen immunotherapy and 1519 matched patients who underwent only symptomatic therapy was performed.
Allergen immunotherapy is a useful treatment for allergic rhinitis; however, some patients do not achieve the expected results and its responsiveness is difficult to assess. The objective of this study was to assess potential reasons for this to happen.
Investigators registered symptoms, medication scores and quality of life related to allergic diseases before and after treatment. A cluster analysis was performed to discover any association between responsiveness to therapy and the parameters registered.
According to the Mailing criteria, which assesses responsiveness to therapy, 77,8% of patients from the allergen immunotherapy group improved 30% or more; and 62,5% of patients met the threshold of 60% or more improvement. Patients with a short history of allergic rhinitis and concomitant allergy to grass pollen or house dust mites were more frequently worse responders to allergen immunotherapy.
In conclusion, the investigators suggest that short term allergic rhinitis and monovalent allergies to grass pollen or mites could correspond to a better response to allergen treatment.
