A study of optimum dose immunotherapy in pharmacological treatment failures

Forty-six patients with allergic rhinitis who were refractory to antihistamine/decongestant drugs were entered into a study to evaluate the effectiveness of optimal dose immunotherapy. Of the patients described, 91% reported symptomatic improvement within 24 weeks. Total IgE was seen to decrease in 76% of the patients in the same time frame. Nasal eosinophilia and specific IgE antibodies also were seen to decrease substantially. The results of this study indicate that immunotherapy, based on the patient's sensitivity as measured by specific serum antibody titers and titrated skin end points, is effective in alleviating symptoms and altering abnormal immunological factors.