Efficacy of immunotherapy for treatment of allergic asthma in children

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Specific immunotherapy is widely used in several countries for managing allergic asthma. Many clinical trials and a meta-analysis of several studies support its efficacy to reduce the symptoms and medical requirements. The purpose of this study was to clarify the efficacy of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in improving the symptoms and reducing medication requirements in primary school children with asthma in comparison with pharmacotherapy. A single-blind, drug-controlled clinical trial was performed. A total of 242 primary school children with allergic asthma were included in the study. The patients were recruited from subjects attending the Allergic Center in Mosul City. Their age range was 7-12 years with mean age of 10 +/- 2 years. From the total only 197 children (81%) completed the study and were eligible for analysis, of those, 85 children were managed with SCIT and 112 children were managed with pharmacotherapies only. The follow-up after 1 year indicated that the children treated with SCIT show a marked reduction in the clinical symptoms, medication requirements, and the level of serum-specific IgE when compared with children treated with conventional drugs. SCIT was effective treatment and can prevent or decrease the onset of new sensitization to the offending allergen and maintain its beneficial effect for years after discontinuation.