Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is increasingly used worldwide. Despite its safety being well ascertained, there is no universally accepted system to grade and classify its adverse events (AEs). ...According to the literature, it seems reasonable to classify and grade systemic side effects by using the previously published World Allergy Organization recommendations. On the other hand, local side effects are the most frequent with SLIT, sometimes leading to its discontinuation. Therefore grading of the severity of local side effects was perceived as necessary for the purpose of uniform reporting, classification, and quantification of this aspect. A World Allergy Organization Taskforce, after examining the available literature and the postmarketing surveillance data, proposed a clinically based grading of the severity of local AEs caused by SLIT. The use of the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities nomenclature for AEs was also included in this context. The proposed grading system for SLIT-induced local reactions is expected to improve and harmonize surveillance and reporting of the safety of SLIT.
Diagnosis, classification, and treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) varies considerably despite the availability of treatment guidelines.
We aimed to carry out a two-part modified Delphi panel study ...to elucidate global expert management of AR in real life.
The modified Delphi panel study was composed of two ten-minute online questionnaires sent to global AR experts, aiming to identify areas of consensus (defined as >75% respondent agreement) on aspects of their real-world daily practice related to AR diagnosis, classification, and pharmacotherapy. A workshop discussion with respondents held after the first-round questionnaire informed the development of the second-round questionnaire.
Eighteen experts (from 7 countries across 3 continents) completed both questionnaires in September–October 2021 and January 2022, respectively. The majority of respondents agreed that diagnosis of AR is best confirmed using a mixture of observation and testing (n = 15) and collaborating with colleagues across other specialties (n = 14). Experts agreed that severity (n = 18), upper/lower respiratory tract involvement (n = 15) and symptom frequency (n = 14) are important factors when classifying AR, however consensus was not reached on which classification tool should be used. Although there were mixed opinions on the preferred pharmacotherapy treatment in the presented case studies, respondents largely agreed on which treatments require less monitoring (intranasal corticosteroid therapies INCS) and when treatments should be stepped down (≤3 months). Although opinions varied across respondents, some respondents considered as-needed INCS treatment and surgery to be viable treatment options.
We identified clear differences between real-world practice and treatment guidelines related to the management of AR. Furthermore, we recognized differences among physicians concerning their clinical practice in the pharmacological treatment of AR. These findings highlight the need for greater research into the management of AR and further indicate there is still a major gap between treatment guidelines and daily practice, even among specialists, suggesting a need for local guideline adaptation and implementation plans.
To perform a structured analysis of the latest scientific evidence obtained for the clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in children.
PubMed, Embase, reference lists from reviews, and ...personal databases were reviewed for original articles on clinical trials with SLIT in patients younger than 18 years published from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2012, using broad search and medical subject heading terms.
Clinical trials, irrespective of their design, of SLIT in the treatment of respiratory and food allergy in patients 18 years or younger were selected. Clinical outcomes (symptom scores, medication use, provocation tests, pulmonary function tests, skin prick tests, and adverse events) and immunologic changes were tabulated. Quality of each trial and total quality of compounded evidence was analyzed with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system.
Of 56 articles, 29 met the inclusion criteria. New evidence is robust for the precoseasonal tablet and drop grass pollen SLIT efficacy in allergic rhinitis and scarce for seasonal asthma. Some evidence for Alternaria SLIT efficacy is appearing. For house dust mite (HDM) SLIT in asthma, there is high-quality evidence for medication reduction while maintaining symptom control; evidence for HDM SLIT efficacy in allergic rhinitis is of moderate-low quality. There is moderate evidence for efficacy of dual grass pollen-HDM SLIT after 12 months of treatment and 1 year after discontinuation. Specific provocation test results (nasal, skin) improve with grass pollen and HDM SLIT but nonspecific bronchial provocation testing does not. Food oral immunotherapy is more promising than food SLIT. Possible new surrogate markers have been reported. No anaphylaxis was found among 2469 treated children.
Evidence for efficacy of SLIT in children with respiratory or food allergy is growing.
One main practice gap in allergology that has been detected in several regions of the world is the application of specific immunotherapy (SIT). The prescription and practice of SIT should ...characterize allergologic specialists, but there are regional discrepancies in such practice. A detailed knowledge of the regulatory and legislation aspects and drawbacks would help improve and harmonize SIT practice.
To describe in Latin America the level of allergy training and the characteristics of the use of SIT, including the medical and legal aspects.
Three sources were used: a 24-item questionnaire sent to 22 allergologic leaders in 11 Latin American countries, 2 face-to-face meetings, and information from health authorities involved in the approval of medical substances.
In 56% of countries, the specialty of allergology is a third-level care specialty and/or a subspecialty. Two countries have a special training program for pediatric allergists. Passing a board examination is mandatory in 3 countries, and recertification every 2 to 5 years occurs without examination. Sublingual and subcutaneous SITs are available in all Latin American countries. No legislation restricts SIT prescription and it can be performed by nonspecialists in 7 of 11 countries. In 90% of countries, allergists use allergen extracts from the United States (subcutaneous immunotherapy) and Europe (sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapies), and 50% also manufacture extracts locally. Only 1 country has legal requirements for the quality of raw materials.
The present analysis helps to identify gaps in the field of allergologic training and SIT in Latin America, many of them amendable.
The medical environment is a changing environment, and not all recommendations will be appropriate for all patients. Because this document incorporated the efforts of many participants, no single ...individual, including those who served on the Joint Task Force, is authorized to provide an official AAAAI or ACAAI interpretation of these practice parameters. Chief Editors Linda Cox, MD Department of Medicine Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine Davie, Florida Richard Lockey, MD Division of Allergy and Immunology Department of Internal Medicine University of South Florida College of Medicine and James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital Tampa, Florida Harold Nelson, MD Department of Medicine National Jewish Health Denver, Colorado Work Group Members Christopher Calabria, MD Glen Burnie, Maryland Thomas Chacko, MD Roswell, Georgia Ira Finegold, MD New York, New York Michael Nelson, MD, PhD Washington, DC Richard Weber, MD Denver, Colorado Joint Task Force Reviewers David Bernstein, MD Department of Medicine and Environmental Health University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio David A. Khan, MD Department of Internal Medicine University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, Texas Joann Blessing-Moore, MD Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics Stanford University Medical Center Department of Immunology Palo Alto, California David M. Lang, MD Allergy/Immunology Section Division of Medicine Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, Ohio Richard A. Nicklas, MD Department of Medicine George Washington Medical Center Washington, DC John Oppenheimer, MD Department of Internal Medicine New Jersey Medical School Pulmonary and Allergy Associates Morristown, New Jersey Jay M. Portnoy, MD Section of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology The Children's Mercy Hospital Department of Pediatrics University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine Kansas City, Missouri Christopher Randolph, MD Yale University New Haven, Connecticut Diane E. Schuller, MD Department of Pediatrics Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical College Hershey, Pennsylvania Sheldon L. Spector, MD Department of Medicine UCLA School of Medicine Los Angeles, California Stephen A. Tilles, MD Department of Medicine University of Washington School of Medicine Redmond, Washington Dana V. Wallace, MD Department of Medicine Nova Southeastern University Davie, Florida Invited Reviewers Don Aaronson, MD, JD, MPH Chicago, Illinois Desiree Larenas-Linnemann, MD Mexico city, Mexico Bryan Leatherman, MD Gulfport, Mississippi Sandra Y. Lin, MD Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Baltimore, Maryland Oral and sublingual immunotherapy for food hypersensitivity Wesley Burkes, MD Duke University Raleigh, North Carolina Venom hypersensitivity David Golden, MD Baltimore, Maryland Theodore M. Freeman, MD Helotes, Texas Allergen extract section Derek Constable, PhD Spokane, Washington Robert Esch, PhD Lenoir, North Carolina Larry Garner, CPT, BA Spokane, Washington Richard Lankow, PhD Round Rock, Texas Greg Plunkett, PhD Round Rock, Texas Ronald Rabin, MD Rockville, Maryland Assigned Reviewers Paul Greenberger, MD Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, Illinois Bryan Martin, DO Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio Preface This document was developed by the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters, which represents the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI); the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI); and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (JCAAI).
Practical issues dealing with the administration of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) by European and US allergists are not well known. Several concerns are only partially covered by guidelines.
To survey ...AIT practice patterns among worldwide members of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).
A web-based survey was conducted among AAAAI members on dosing, dose adjustment after missed doses, and duration of AIT.
A total of 1,201 replies (24.7% response rate of which 10% of responses were from non-US and non-Canada members). A total of 57% to 65% of the US-Canadian dosing falls within the recommended Practice Parameter ranges (9.4%-19% too low). Dose adjustment after missed doses is based on time elapsed since the last administered dose by 77% of US-Canadian and 58% of non-US-Canadian allergists. Doses are reduced when a patient comes in more than 14 days for 5 weeks after the last administration and initial dosing restarted after more than 30 days for 12 weeks since last administration during the build-up or maintenance stage. After missing 1 to 3 doses, the dosing schedules were mostly followed (build-up phase: repeat last dose, reduce by 1 dose, reduce by 2doses; maintenance phase: reduce by 1 dose, reduce by 2 doses, reduce by 3 doses). AIT is prescribed for a median of 3 years by non-US-Canadian allergists but for a median of 5 years by 75% of US-Canadian allergists. Main reasons for continuing beyond 5 years were "after stopping, symptoms reappeared" or "patient afraid to relapse."
Many patients receive less than recommended doses. Two areas in which to plan further research are establishment of an optimal dose-adjustment plan for missed applications and exploration of the maximum appropriate duration of immunotherapy.
Rationale To compare the relative potency in skin tests of solution and tablet extracts of Timothy grass pollen (TIM) of 2 European manufacturers (ALK-Abelló, Stallergènes), with an FDA approved ...extract (REF) of 10,000BAU/mL.
To update the scientific evidence of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in children.
PubMed, EMBASE, and known articles.
All publications on SCIT in pediatric patients from January 2006 to April 2011. ...Study design was not a restriction. The articles were analyzed according to their outcomes and evaluated on their scientific quality using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation and Jadad tools. Clinical, safety, and immunologic data were gathered.
The scientific evidence produced by the 31 articles analyzed showed that there is high-quality evidence that grass pollen SCIT causes a reduction in the combined symptom-medication score and increases the threshold of the conjunctival provocation test, immediately and 7 years after termination of SCIT, as well as the threshold of the specific bronchial provocation test and the skin prick test reactivity. Alternaria SCIT improves medication scores, combined symptom-medication scores, and quality of life. It augments the threshold in the nasal provocation test. High-quality evidence of house dust mite SCIT shows that asthma symptom and medication scores improve and emergency department visits and skin reactivity are reduced; moderate evidence indicates improvement in pulmonary function tests. Pollen SCIT prevents asthma (moderate evidence); evidence for long-term benefit of pollen SCIT (7-12 years after termination) is low to moderate. There is inconclusive evidence for SCIT reducing new sensitizations.
There is acceptable evidence that shows that grass pollen, Alternaria, and house dust mite SCIT is beneficial in allergic children.
Conclusions In AIT-GLs there is still a lot of room for improvement, especially in two domains, crucial in dissemination (stakeholder involvement and applicability).
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