Nasal reactivity evaluation in children with allergic rhinitis receiving grass pollen sublingual immunotherapy

Allergy Asthma Proc. 2020 Sep 1;41(5):357-362. doi: 10.2500/aap.2020.41.200063.

Abstract

Background: The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology guidelines, strongly recommended allergen immunotherapy (AIT) as an effective treatment to achieve long-term clinical benefits and to modify the natural history of allergic diseases. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) offers the possibility of home administration, which improves patient comfort and compliance. Objective: The primary outcome of this study was to assess the change in nasal reactivity after grass-pollen AIT treatment. Methods: This was a monocentric, prospective, observational study conducted in Rome from September 2016 to June 2018, in the Pediatric Department of Policlinico Umberto I. We enrolled children, ages between 6 and 12 years, with persistent allergic rhinitis (AR), sensitized to grass pollen. At the first visit (V0, September 2016), one group received the first dose of oral immunotherapy for grass-pollen spray buccal and the other group continued only standard therapy. All the patients had nasal specific immunoglobulin I (IgE) assay (Phl p1, Phl p5), active anterior rhinomanometry with a nasal provocation test (NPT), and spirometry. The patients attended two follow-up visits, in May 2017 (V1) and May 2018 (V2), with the same examinations as at V0. Results: During the treatment, we observed, in the treated group, a significant increase in the mean nasal flow compared with untreated children (p < 0.001). In the AIT group, we found an improvement of nasal function and only 21.05% of all the children in the active group with a positive NPT result at V2. In the control group, we found, at V2, a worsening of nasal function, with 89.47% of the children with a positive NPT result. Furthermore, we found a significant reduction of nasal specific IgE levels at the end of the observation period in the treated group. Conclusion: Analysis of our data provided evidence for a clinical effect of SLIT in inducing clinical changes and allergen tolerance in children with AR.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Allergens / immunology*
  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immune Tolerance
  • Immunoglobulin E / metabolism*
  • Italy
  • Male
  • Nasal Cavity / immunology*
  • Nasal Provocation Tests
  • Phleum / immunology
  • Plant Proteins / immunology*
  • Pollen / immunology
  • Prospective Studies
  • Rhinitis, Allergic
  • Rhinomanometry
  • Sublingual Immunotherapy / methods*

Substances

  • Allergens
  • Phl p V protein, Phleum pratense
  • Plant Proteins
  • PHLPI protein, Phleum pratense
  • Immunoglobulin E