Background: Specific immunotherapy is an important immune-modifying treatment for patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). We compared the early efficacy and safety of cluster and conventional immunotherapies for patients with AR.
Methods: One hundred forty-nine patients with persistent AR were enrolled in a randomized and open-label trial and were divided into the following 4 groups: 60 children treated conventionally, 33 children treated using the cluster schedule, 23 adults treated conventionally, and 33 adults treated using the cluster schedule. Patients in the cluster groups reached the maintenance dose within 6 weeks, while those receiving conventional therapy reached the maintenance dose within 14 weeks. Symptom scores and skin prick test scores (SPTs) were used to evaluate clinical efficacy and adverse reactions.
Results: After buildup phase of treatment, symptom scores, and SPTs were significantly lower than those prior to treatment in each group (P < .05). No significant differences were found in the efficacy of nasal symptoms scores among four groups (P > .05).However, the efficacy of SPTs using conventional schedule was higher than cluster schedule in children groups (group A and B, 57.7 vs 30.2%, P = .001). Besides, the efficacy of SPTs in adults was higher than children when using the cluster treatment (group D and B, 53.0 vs 30.2%, P = .008). No severe adverse reaction occurred.
Conclusions: Conventional and cluster immunotherapy schedules have similar efficacies, which do not vary with age; both schedules are safe and reliable. Also, SPT facilitate evaluation of clinical efficacy.
Keywords: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus; allergic rhinitis; cluster immunotherapy; conventional immunotherapy.