[Long-term clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis]

To evaluate the sustained efficacy of 2-year sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) and 1 year after 2-year SLIT in children with allergic rhinitis (AR).

This study is a randomized, open and prospective trial. One hundred twenty children (between 4 and 11 years old) suffering from AR duo to mite were chosen from November, 2008 to June, 2009 in department of otolaryngology in our hospital divided into two groups: 60 underwent 2-year course of SLIT and one year follow-up combined with 3-year drug therapy as SLIT group; 60 received only drug therapy as control group. The patients were evaluated at three time points (baseline, end of SLIT and 1 year after SLIT discontinuation) regarding symptom scores including total nasal symptom score (TNSS), sneezing, rhinorrhoea, nasal obstruction, nasal itching and total medication scores (TMS) and adverse reaction.

(1) At the end of SLIT, the symptom scores excepting sneezing and total medication scores in SLIT group are obviously lower than those in control group (P < 0.01). At 1 year after SLIT discontinuation, all of the score including sneezing (P < 0.05) in SLIT group are lower than those of control group. (2) At the end of SLIT and 1 year after SLIT discontinuation, all of the scores are lower than those at baseline in SLIT group (P < 0.01); the scores were no different in SLIT group between the end of SLIT and 1 year after SLIT discontinuation (P > 0.05). But at the end of SLIT and 1 year after SLIT discontinuation, TMS was higher than it at baseline in control group (P < 0.01). At 1 year after SLIT discontinuation, nasal obstruction score was higher than it at baseline (P < 0.05).

SLIT can obviously improve the AR and the efficacy can sustain after 1-year SLIT discontinua tion. Drug increased in 3 years without SLIT.