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Use of a specific oral hyposensitization therapy to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in children with atopic dermatitis
Insights
Specific hyposensitization therapy for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D.pt.) showed no significant improvement in atopic dermatitis symptoms in children. The treatment did not alter the natural course of the condition in this study.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Dermatology
- Allergology
Background:
- Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition often associated with allergies.
- Specific hyposensitization therapy aims to reduce allergic responses by exposing patients to increasing doses of allergens.
- Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D.pt.) is a common allergen implicated in allergic diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of oral specific hyposensitization therapy for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D.pt.) in children with atopic dermatitis.
- To assess the impact of this therapy on both dermatological lesions and respiratory symptoms.
Main Methods:
- A three-year clinical trial involving 60 children with atopic dermatitis.
- Patients were divided into three groups: AD with respiratory allergies (Group A), AD only (Group B), and AD only control (Group C).
- Groups A and B received oral specific hyposensitization therapy with D.pt. extracts; Group C received no active treatment.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in the clinical evaluation of dermatological lesions were observed among the three groups at the study's end.
- The incidence of respiratory symptoms in children with atopic dermatitis alone was similar between the treated (Group B) and control (Group C) groups.
- Respiratory symptom onset was not correlated with positive skin prick tests or RAST results for seasonal allergens.
Conclusions:
- Oral specific hyposensitization therapy with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extracts did not demonstrate efficacy in altering the natural course of atopic dermatitis in children.
- The therapy was found to be safe, with no reported side effects.
- Further research may be needed to explore alternative or adjunctive treatments for atopic dermatitis in sensitized children.
Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of an oral specific hyposensitization therapy in children with atopic dermatitis and positive prick skin tests and/or RAST to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D.pt.). A total of 60 patients, in three different clinical groups, were selected for a three years clinical trial. Group A: children with atopic dermatitis and allergic asthma and/or rhinitis; groups B and C: children with exclusively atopic dermatitis. Groups A and B received specific hyposensitization therapy. Group C was the control group. The clinical evaluation of the dermatological lesions, at the end of our study, didn't show any significant difference among the three groups. Moreover, the onset of respiratory symptoms between the two groups with exclusively atopic dermatitis was similar and not related to the positivity of prick skin tests and/or RAST to seasonal allergens. Our study suggests that specific hyposensitisation therapy with extracts of D.pt., although with no side effects, does not affect the natural history of atopic dermatitis.