These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Specific immunotherapy with a standardized Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract. II. Prediction of efficacy of immunotherapy.
    Author: Bousquet J, Hejjaoui A, Clauzel AM, Guérin B, Dhivert H, Skassa-Brociek W, Michel FB.
    Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol; 1988 Dec; 82(6):971-7. PubMed ID: 3204255.
    Abstract:
    House dust mites of the species Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt) represent one of the major allergens inducing asthma. However, a strict allergy to Dpt is not always observed in Dpt-allergic patients, since nonallergic and other allergic triggering factors often coexist. It was suggested that specific immunotherapy with house dust-mite extracts is more effective in children than in adults. A controlled study was undertaken in 215 Dpt-allergic patients with asthma ranging in age from 3 to 72 years (mean +/- SD, 28.2 +/- 10.9 years) to investigate parameters that might predict the efficacy of specific immunotherapy before it is started; 171 patients received a rush immunotherapy protocol with a standardized Dpt extract and, subsequently, maintenance injections with 3000 BU of this extract, and 44 patients served as a control group. Before immunotherapy, all patients had a complete evaluation of the severity of asthma by symptom-medication scores and a pulmonary function test, as well as a study of other triggering factors by checking on seasonal and perennial allergens, sinusitis, and other possible causes, such as aspirin intolerance; 196 patients were investigated between 9 and 12 months after the onset of the survey by means of pulmonary function tests and symptom-medication scores. Medications were adapted according to peak flow rates. It was observed that patients with chronic sinusitis, and/or aspirin intolerance, and/or other perennial allergies did not benefit from specific immunotherapy; therefore, the treatment of a major etiologic factor did not demonstrate improvement in the patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]