Efficacy of Sublingual Versus Subcutaneous Allergen Immunotherapy in Patients With Bronchial Asthma
Condition: Efficacy, Self
MeSH terms: Asthma
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and is manifested by acute episodes of
      obstruction related to loss of control of airway inflammation mostly in response to a viral
      respiratory tract infection .The significance of eosinophilic inflammation in asthma is well
      established.

      Late clinical reactions in asthma are associated with increase of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in
      serum. Serum IgE can be used as a measure of allergen provocation causing increased
      eosinophil activity. Serum IgE can be used to assess the exposure to environmental allergens,
      or decreasing presence of allergen in the environment and the need for increase or reduction
      of therapy.

      Allergen immunotherapy is defined as the repeated administration of specific allergens to
      patients with IgE-mediated conditions for the purpose of providing protection against the
      allergic symptoms and inflammatory reactions associated with natural exposure to these
      allergens.

      The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of sublingual versus subcutaneous allergen
      immunotherapy as regard clinical response, serum IgE and sputum eosinophils
    

Detailed description: 
      study was conducted in Mansoura University Hospitals, Chest Medicine Department on patients
      attended to Asthma and Allergy clinic. The asthma symptoms and leukotrienes antagonist,
      inhaled B2 agonist, inhaled steroid and systemic steroid usage recorded throughout the study
      period. Venous blood and sputum samples were collected before and at the end of the study for
      determination of IgE and sputum eosinophil levels respectively. Fifty asthmatic patients
      recruited from Mansoura university allergy outpatient clinic were included before treatment
      with subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) vaccines and another Fifty asthmatic patients were
      included before treatment with sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) vaccines. In this study, All
      of patients were symptomatic and on medications either bronchodilators or inhaled
      corticosteroids (ICS). All patients were diagnosed by previous pulmonary function test (PFT)
      with reversibility test and follow up with our outpatient clinic (OPC). Each patient
      underwent spirometry to determine forced expiratory volume at 1st second (FEV1) and to ensure
      that his condition is stable before starting immunotherapy. Serum IgE and sputum eosinophil
      count were measured in 100 patients with asthma before and after 6 , 12 , 18 months of
      treatment with immunotherapy vaccines.
    

Intervention name(s): Allergen Immunotherapy Extract
Intervention type(s): Drug
Intervention description(s): Sublingual subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy
Intervention MeSH terms: Immunomodulating Agents
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Sublingual versus subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Sublingual; subcutaneous; allergen immunotherapy