ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is strongly associated with the presence of house dust mites. This study investigated the long-term effects of allergen-specific immunotherapy. Allergen-specific immunotherapy was applied over three years. The study was based on a 10-year follow up of patients with allergic rhinitis. METHODS: The study was conducted between 2001 and 2015. Skin prick test results and symptom scores were evaluated before (26 patients) and after 3 years (20 patients) of allergen-specific immunotherapy (using data from a previously published study), and 10 years after allergen-specific immunotherapy had ended (20 of 26 patients). RESULTS: The symptom scores before allergen-specific immunotherapy were significantly higher than those obtained after 3 years of allergen-specific immunotherapy and 10 years after allergen-specific immunotherapy (p 0.0175). CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous immunotherapy is an effective treatment for house dust mite induced allergic rhinitis.
Subject(s)
Desensitization, Immunologic/methods , Pyroglyphidae/immunology , Rhinitis, Allergic/therapy , Adult , Animals , Humans , Injections, Subcutaneous , Male , Rhinitis, Allergic/etiology , Rhinitis, Allergic/immunology , Skin Tests , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms by impairing folate metabolism may influence the development of allergic diseases. The results of studies evaluating the relationship between MTHFR polymorphisms and atopic disease are controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the polymorphisms of C677T and A1298C for MTHFR gene and allergic rhinitis (AR) in children. METHODS: Ninety patients followed up with diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in our clinic and 30 children with no allergic diseases were included in the study. All participants were genotyped for the MTHFR (C677T) and (A1298C) polymorphisms. Vitamin b12, folate and homocysteine levels were measured. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 9.2±2.9 years; 66.7% of the patients were male. There was no significant difference between patient and control groups regarding gender, age and atopy history of the family (p>0.05). The frequency of homozygotes for MTHFR C677T polymorphism in the patient and control groups was 3.3% and 10%, respectively. The frequency of homozygotes for MTHFR A1298C polymorphism among groups was 26.7% and 16.7%, respectively. The association between allergic rhinitis and polymorphisms of C677T and A1298C for MTHFR gene was not statistically significant in patients compared with controls (p>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the patients and the control group in terms of serum vitamin b12, folate and homocysteine levels (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: We found no evidence for an association between allergic rhinitis and polymorphisms of C677T and A1298C for MTHFR gene in children. Further studies investigating the relationship between MTHFR polymorphism and AR are required.
