Local intranasal immunotherapy for grass-allergic rhinitis.

Area of Science:

• Allergy and Immunology
• Immunotherapy
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Grass pollenosis is a common allergic respiratory condition.
• Current treatments for grass pollenosis include avoidance and symptomatic medication.
• Intranasal immunotherapy offers a potential localized treatment approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of local intranasal immunotherapy for grass pollenosis.
• To compare an aqueous grass extract with a modified grass extract (allergoid) and placebo.
• To assess clinical outcomes and serological markers following treatment.

Main Methods:

• A double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 50 grass-allergic patients.
• Random assignment to three groups: aqueous grass extract, allergoid grass extract, or histamine placebo.
• Preseasonal intranasal administration of gradually increasing doses over 10 weeks.

Main Results:

• Both aqueous and allergoid grass extracts significantly reduced symptom/medication scores compared to placebo.
• Adverse local reactions were more frequent with the aqueous extract than the allergoid or placebo.
• Serum grass-specific IgE levels increased post-treatment in the active treatment groups, while nasal secretory IgA remained unchanged.

Conclusions:

• Local intranasal immunotherapy with grass extracts is clinically effective for grass pollenosis.
• The modified grass extract (allergoid) demonstrated a favorable safety profile compared to the aqueous extract.
• Clinical benefit was observed without a significant change in secretory immune response.