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Will Sublingual Immunotherapy Offer Benefit for Asthma?

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Abstract

Evidence shows that sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is indicated in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). In this article we discuss whether SLIT could offer benefit for children and adults with asthma. We reviewed individual trials on SLIT in asthmatic patients, but also asthma data reported in some SLIT trials conducted in AR patients. Findings were complemented with data from systematic reviews and meta-analysis on the subject since 2000 and some guidelines that mention immunotherapy for asthma treatment. In AR patients with concomitant persistent asthma, SLIT reduces medication needs while maintaining symptom control. This holds especially true for house dust mite SLIT. Data on pollen SLIT and lung symptom improvement with SLIT, however, are less convincing. Therefore, we suggest SLIT should be added as an optional add-on therapy for patients with asthma whenever a causative allergen has been demonstrated and AR is associated with asthma. For the future, SLIT should be studied in specifically designed asthma studies in allergic asthmatics without AR.

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Conflict of Interest

Désirée Larenas-Linnemann has served on advisory boards for Novartis and Pfizer; has served as a consultant for Hollister-Stier Laboratories (allergen manufacturer); has received honoraria from Merck Sharp & Dohme (distributor of allergen tablets), AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Almirall; and has had travel/accommodations expenses covered/reimbursed by Merck Sharp & Dohme (distributor of allergen tablets), Pfizer, Novartis, UCB, Senosiain and Almirall.

Giovanni Passalacqua has served as a consultant for Stallergenes and Lofarma (both allergen manufacturers).

Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani, Alvaro Teijeiro, and Giorgio Walter Canonica declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIMER (Research Center for Respiratory Medicine) Catholic University, Fundación LIBRA, Córdoba, Argentina

    Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani & Alvaro Teijeiro

  2. Hospital Médica Sur, Mexico, DF, Mexico

    Désirée Larenas-Linnemann

  3. Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani, Giorgio Walter Canonica & Giovanni Passalacqua

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  1. Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani
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Correspondence to Désirée Larenas-Linnemann.

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Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani and Désirée Larenas-Linnemann: Both authors contributed equally to this work.

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Baena-Cagnani, C.E., Larenas-Linnemann, D., Teijeiro, A. et al. Will Sublingual Immunotherapy Offer Benefit for Asthma?. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 13, 571–579 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-013-0385-5

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