Background: The reduction of pharmacological treatment after allergen immunotherapy (AIT) for house dust mites (HDMs) has been little studied in children. Objective: To evaluate the reduction of pharmacological treatment comparing children that receive HDM immunotherapy (AIT group) versus only pharmacotherapy. Methods: A historic cohort of children with rhinitis or asthma was assessed. The main outcome was the frequency of complete drug discontinuation. Results: 100% drug reduction was higher for rhinitis (4-year cumulative incidence: 30 vs 10.7%) and asthma (24.1 vs 10.5%) in the AIT group (n = 987) than in the pharmacotherapy group (n = 2012). Conclusion: Immunotherapy is associated with a significant reduction of pharmacotherapy in children. This is a marker of clinical control and could be associated with positive economic impact.
Keywords: allergen; allergy; asthma; immunotherapy; mites; pharmacotherapy; real-life; real-word; rhinitis.
The benefits of allergen immunotherapy for house dust mites has been little studied in children. The usefulness of this treatment in asthma over the use of pharmacotherapy has also not been clearly evaluated. The use of immunotherapy allowed greater reductions in pharmacological treatment in children with rhinitis and asthma. Immunotherapy is a useful treatment for childhood rhinitis and asthma and reduces the risk of adverse effects from pharmacological treatments.