Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 3 years oral specific immunotherapy in patients with perannial allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma caused by allergy to mites.
Material and methods: Fifteen patients with allergic perannial rhinitis entered the study. Ten of them suffered also from bronchial asthma. During 3 years of therapy we have monitored the appearance of side effects, clinical parameters (symptoms degree and medication usage score) and immunological parameters (serum eosinophil cationic protein concentration and leukotriene C4 liberation by peripheral blood leukocytes upon in vitro specific allergens stimulation).
Results: We have not observed the appearance of any adverse event, so medication has been recognized as a safe. Moreover, we have observed a lot of positive therapeutical effects--the lowering of symptoms scores, accompanied by advantageous changes in immunological parameters. However, in spite of 3 years of therapy, many patients still reported the substantial clinical symptoms, accompanied by still elevated serum ECP concentration and relatively high leukotriene C4 liberation by peripheral blood leukocytes upon in vitro stimulation by specific allergens.
Conclusion: Oral specific immunotherapy in the patients with allergic diseases of upper airways is a safe medication but leads only to moderate clinical efficacy accompanied by lowering serum ECP concentration and reducing of leukotrienes C4 liberation by peripheral blood leukocytes stimulated by specific allergens.