Immunotherapy in reducing clinical symptoms of children with house dust mite-induced allergic rhinitis

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis in children is mostly caused by house dust mites (HDM). It requires long-term therapy and decreases the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. Immunotherapy provides long-term improvement of clinical symptoms in children with allergic rhinitis. However, there are not many studies on the benefit of immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis in Indonesia. This study aimed to analyze the benefits of immunotherapy in reducing clinical symptoms in children with HDM-induced allergic rhinitis. A secondary data-based retrospective cohort study was conducted on HDM-induced allergic rhinitis children between 2015-2019 in Surabaya. The diagnosis of HDM-induced allergic rhinitis was established from typical allergic symptoms and a positive skin prick test result for HDM allergens. The improvement of clinical symptoms was assessed based on total symptom score (TSS), total medication score (TMS), and combination of symptom and medication score (CSMS) of the EAACI/WAO scoring. Observation on each score was carried out at the time of initial diagnosis and after 18 months of therapy. Mann-Whitney comparative analysis statistical test was for comparing immunotherapy group and non-immunotherapy group. TSS, TMS, and CSMS of the immunotherapy group were significantly lower (p<0.05) than in the non-immunotherapy group.