Long-term benefits of specific immunotherapy (SIT).

摘要

The long-term benefits of specific im-munotherapy (SIT) after its discontinuation are: 1) maintained clinical efficacy; 2) the prevention of new sensitizations; and 3) the prevention of asthma.The first study that convincingly documented the long-term benefits of pollen im-munotherapy was published in 1999. It was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the discontinuation of im-munotherapy for grass pollen allergy conducted in patients in whom 3-4 years of this treatment had previously been shown to be effective. During the 3 years of this trial, primary outcome measures were scores for seasonal symptoms and the use of rescue medication, and objective measures included the immediate conjunctival response and the immediate and late skin responses to allergen challenge. A matched group of pa-