Abstract
Background and Objectives: Real-world studies are limited regarding the effectiveness of SCIT on allergic rhinitis (AR) with and without asthma and the cost of medication in Thailand. Moreover, limited data exist regarding the effectiveness of SCIT on worldwide upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the medication costs, rate of AR and asthma exacerbations, and rate of URTI in AR with or without asthma subjects before and during three years after receiving the maintenance phase of SCIT, compared with a standard usual care (SUC) group. Materials and Methods: A real-world retrospective study was conducted in AR subjects with or without asthma. From January 2001 to December 2018, 24 subjects with or without asthma received SCIT added to SUC, and 16 subjects were treated with SUC only at the Allergy and Chest Clinic of Chiang Mai Ram Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand. The cost of medication was recorded. AR and asthma exacerbations and URTI events were also collected. Results: From between-group comparisons, the cost of medication (THB) in the SCIT group at the one-, two-, and three-year follow up was significantly lower (587.4 (348.3–1374.6) vs. 1562.4 (1315.1–1857.3), p < 0.001, 501.2 (302.9–839.0) vs. 1728.3 (1190.0–2236.1), p < 0.001, and 372.4 (284.8–752.4) vs. 1500.3 (1217.9–1748.9), p < 0.001, respectively)), and AR and asthma exacerbations were significantly reduced at the three-year follow-up. From within-group comparisons, the cost of medication (THB) and AR and asthma exacerbations were significantly lower in the SCIT group at the one-, two-, and three-year follow-up. The URTI event was significantly reduced in the SCIT group at the two- and three-year follow-up. Conclusions: SCIT in subjects with AR with or without asthma was associated with a significantly reduced cost of medication, rates of AR and asthma exacerbations, and URTI events in the long term.
Highlights
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease, characterized by paroxysms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, and nasal obstruction, often accompanied by itching of the eyes, nose, and palate [1]
Baseline clinical characteristics of the subjected in Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and standard usual care (SUC) groups were comparable except that the SCIT group had a longer duration of AR or asthma disease than the SUC group (11.5 years (9.0–18.3) vs. 7.5 years (5.0–8.0), p < 0.001)
Our results showed that the medication cost was significantly lower in SCIT compared with the SUC groups since the first year after receiving SCIT
Summary
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease, characterized by paroxysms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, and nasal obstruction, often accompanied by itching of the eyes, nose, and palate [1]. To the best of our knowledge, real-world studies regarding the effectiveness of SCIT on the cost of medication, AR and asthma exacerbations, and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) events in Thailand are still limited [18]. The primary objective of this study was to compare the cost of medication, rates of AR, and asthma exacerbation before and during a three-year follow-up after receiving the maintenance phase of SCIT added to standard usual care (SUC) for AR and AR with asthma subjects to those received SUC only. The objective of this study was to compare the medication costs, rate of AR and asthma exacerbations, and rate of URTI in AR with or without asthma subjects before and during three years after receiving the maintenance phase of SCIT, compared with a standard usual care (SUC) group. Conclusions: SCIT in subjects with AR with or without asthma was associated with a significantly reduced cost of medication, rates of AR and asthma exacerbations, and URTI events in the long term
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