Comparison between sublingual immunotherapy and subcutaneous immunotherapy in the treatment of pollen-induced vernal keratoconjunctivitis in children

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare between sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in the treatment of pollen-induced vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) in children. Patients and methods This was a prospective randomized case series. Forty-six patients with grass pollen-induced VKC were enrolled in this study. The cases were divided randomly into two groups: group A included 23 children treated by SLIT and group B included 23 children treated by SCIT. All cases were assessed for improvement by measurement of the level of specific immunoglobulin E (IgE)/6 months and by clinical scoring system/3 months. This system comprises the total subjective symptom scores (TSSS) and the total ocular sign score (TOSS). Data were collected, compared, and analyzed. Results Both routes, SLIT and SCIT, led to a statistically significant effect (P˂0.001) in the improvement of these cases of pollen-induced VKC, and this was evident from all of the follow-up variables including specific IgE test, TSSS, and TOSS. There was no statistically significant difference between the two routes of administration of immunotherapy in the specific IgE test, TSSS, and TOSS at all the follow-up visits (P Conclusion SLIT had the same efficacy as SCIT in the treatment of children with grass pollen-induced VKC, but with less pain and a shorter and a more convenient schedule compared with that of SCIT.