[Comparison of 3 types of immunotherapy for treating grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis]

Three modes of immunotherapy in the treatment of allergic rhinitis to grass pollen were compared in grass sensitive patients: aqueous extracts, alum precipitated extracts and alum adsorbed extracts from aqueous pyridine solution of grass pollens (Alavac G.). This study confirms the efficacy of therapy with aqueous extracts and alum precipitates where larger doses could be administrated in shorter courses. The clinical response of patients treated with Alavac G. was not significantly different from untreated patients during the 1984 season in spite of the fact that sp IgE antibodies were prevented to rise. The weak potency of these extracts was further confirmed by their inability to interfere with the measurement of sp IgE Ab levels by RAST, as opposed to the two other preparations. Therefore, in spite of a minimal clinical response and a weak potency of Alavac G, a multicenter trial with larger group of patients is needed before any firm conclusion could be made on this mode of desensitization.