Evidence-based evaluation of grass pollen immunotherapy

Calderon M, et al. Towards evidence-based medicine in specific grass pollen immunotherapy. Allergy, 2009 (December); 65(4):420-434, published online.

The authors of this study performed a literature review of studies designed to assess the efficacy of grass pollen immunotherapy. They utilized Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, reviewing articles through January 2009. They were able to find 33 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Seven of these were pediatric trials.

These trials contained a total of 440 patients for subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT); 168 pediatric patients were included. They reviewed trials containing 906 patients studied with sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Some of the trials involved the use of allergoids.

From a review of these studies which were multinational, they concluded that there were multinational, rigorous trials of grass pollen immunotherapy, and that these trials offered evidence-based support that specific immunotherapy was effective, and that "SLIT tablets for grass pollen in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis provide the specialist physician with the strongest levels of evidence for drawing reliable conclusions.

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