Sublingual immunotherapy effective for allergic rhinitis patients, Study says

The study is published in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology.

While there exists considerable evidence for efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), its impact on the improvement of nasal signs in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients remains quite unclear.

Hence, researchers, Liu B and colleagues from the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China carried out the present study to describe and evaluate the therapeutic effect of SLIT after the endoscopic examination and the modified Lund-Kennedy (MLK) scoring system were performed.

A total of 105 patients with AR induced by house dust mites were enrolled and treated with standardized Dermatophagoides farinae (D. farinae) drops for 1 year. The total nasal symptoms score (TNSS), total medication score (TMS), visual analog scale (VAS), and MLK scores were assessed at baseline and 6 and 12 months. The MLK score was also compared for its correlation with TNSS, TMS, and VAS.

The following findings were highlighted-

1. The TNSS, TMS, and VAS scores statistically decreased after SLIT compared to baseline (all p < 0.05).
2. After 12 months of treatment, the rates of well-controlled, partial controlled, and uncontrolled AR patients were 42, 49.5, and 8.5%, respectively.
3. The nasal endoscopy findings showed significant improvement in nasal signs, which mainly included color change of turbinate mucosa, reduction of nasal secretions, and improvement of nasal edema.
4. A significant decrease was observed in MLK scores, and there was a positive correlation between MLK and VAS scores.

Therefore, the authors concluded that "in addition to commonly utilized subjective assessments (TMS, TNSS, and VAS), our results of endoscopic examination and the MLK scores consistently confirmed that SLIT is an effective therapeutic modality for AR patients. The MLK scores might be considered as an auxiliary tool to evaluate efficacy of SLIT in clinical practice and outcomes research."