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| BACKGROUND: Specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) has shown good efficacy and tolerability in children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis (AR) in clinical studies. However, there was a high drop-out rate to SCIT in many parts of the world. Here, we investigate the reason of drop-out SCIT within one year and efficacy of SCIT after discontinuation among Chinese population.
METHODS:
31 patients who started subcutaneous injections of standard dust mite vaccines from March 2006 to now and dropped out the treatment within one year were included in this study. Questionnaires for the reason of drop-out were investigated. SCIT efficacy was measured by VAS, symptom scores and medication scoring. Patients' qualities of life were also investigated. This study was followed up for one years post the final injections.
RESULTS:
All 31 patients gave the answers for the drop-out treatment. The reasons for discontinuation of SCIT were inability to visit hospital for the injections regularly (n=6, 19.4%), ineffectiveness (n=9, 29.0%), high cost (n=4, 12.9 %), improvement of allergic symptoms (n=11, 35.5%). Only one patient discontinued the SIT due to adverse events. Of 31 patients, 27 complete final assessment. The VAS, symptoms scores and medication score were all signi?cantly reduced, when were compared before and after SCIT, respectively. However, the degree of changes of these items ware not different, when comparing after SCIT and follow up post SCIT.
CONCLUSION: Our study shows that inability to visit hospital for the injections regularly, ineffectiveness, high cost, and improvement of allergic symptoms may account for the drop-out rate of SCIT. Short course of SIT using injections of standard dust mite was shown to be effective but not sufficient. A prolonged treatment was recommended. |
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| Keywords:Otolarygology; Allergic rhinitis; Specific subcutaneous immunotherapy |
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