Sustained effects of intralymphatic pollen-specific immunotherapy on Japanese cedar pollinosis

Main idea: Intralymphatic immunotherapy was safe and effective for Japanese cedar pollinosis. The clinical effects remained for 1-2 years.

Abstract

Intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT) for allergic patients requires only a few intralymphatic injections of the allergen. However, the effectiveness and safety of Japanese cedar pollinosis are unclear. The objectives of this study were to clarify whether and how long ILIT is effective for pollinosis, and its safety.

Inan open pilot investigation followed by a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis received 3 intralymphatic inguinal injections of the pollen extracts before the first pollen season.

Results:  Although mild adverse events were induced at the injected site, severe adverse events were not noted. During the latter part of the first season, intralymphatic immunotherapy-treated patients (n=12) tended to show improved symptom medication scores compared to placebo-treated (n=6) without statistical significance. When assessed by nasal provocation testing and visual analogue scale scoring after the first season, the effectiveness of intralymphatic immunotherapy was significant. The effects of intralymphatic immunotherapy continued until the second or third season. Neither allergen-specific antibodies nor Treg/Breg cells changed in the peripheral blood.

Source Rhinology