Sublingual Immunotherapy Beneficial in Allergic Asthma

THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- In children and adolescents with allergic asthma, sublingual immunotherapy is clinically effective, according to a meta-analysis published in the March issue of the journal Chest.

Martin Penagos, M.D., of the University of Genoa in Genoa, Italy, and colleagues reviewed 73 studies published before June 2006, nine of which met the selection criteria. The researchers assessed data on 441 patients who received either sublingual immunotherapy or placebo.

Compared to placebo, the researchers found that sublingual immunotherapy was associated with significant mean reductions in both symptoms and medication usage (1.14 and 1.63, respectively).

"Due to the favorable safety profile and its potential in modifying the evolution of disease, sublingual immunotherapy is of relevant value in the treatment of asthma in association with standard drug therapy, as recommended in the official documents," the authors write. "Sublingual immunotherapy trials in children should be properly conducted as soon as possible, according to the recent World Allergy Organization recommendations for specific immunotherapy clinical trials, to determine the most effective dose and regimen of administration."

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