A Study of Immunological and Clinical Effects of allergen immunotherapy on patients with allergic rhinitis in Babylon Province

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effects of allergen immunotherapy (AI) on patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) in Babylon Province. Allergen immunotherapy involved exposing a patient to gradually increasing doses of specific allergens with the intention of decreasing allergic and inflammatory response, ultimately leading to a sustained decrease in allergic symptoms. A build-up phase (once weekly injections for three months) was followed by a maintenance phase (once monthly injections) that generally continued for 3-5 years. The effects of allergen immunotherapy were assessed at 0 time, 3 months, and 6 months on 45 the patients with positive skin test to house dust mite and pollen as immunotherapy group (IT group) and the effects were compared to 30 patients as control group who remained on pharmacotherapy. The changes caused by AI were assessed by symptoms and medications (drugs) use scores, measurement of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and immunoglobulin G ( IgG), and side effects score . The study showed that the percentage of sensitivity to house dust mite, pollen, and mixed sensitivity (house dust mite and pollen) were 67% , 20%, and 13% from cases respectively. The mean levels of total IgE was significantly decreased in the IT group as compared to the control group. Also, there was a significant increase in the mean levels of total IgG between the IT and control group (p≤0.05).In addition, the study revealed marked but nonsignificant reduction in symptoms and medications use score in the IT group with the progression of treatment while less reduction in the control group. The study also demonstrated that the IT is a safe procedure and the complications in this study was not significant. The mean score of side-effects was 0.3.