Effect of mite-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy on patients with allergic rhinitis

This study analyzed the effect of mite-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) on patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). We enrolled 98 AR patients visiting our hospital from April 2017 to April 2019 and grouped them in a random number table. The control group (n=49) received conventional treatment for three years. The SCIT used a standardized mite allergen injection for the experimental group (n=49) for three years. The study compared total nasal symptom score (TNSS), daily medication score (DMS), total combined score (TCS), visual analog scale (VAS) score, mini-rhinitis quality of life questionnaire (MiniRQLQ) score, and serum immunoglobulin E (sIgE) level before and after treatment. The overall response rate was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (59.18% vs. 30.61%, p<0.05). After treatment, the experimental group had lower values for TCS and VAS score (p<0.05); motion score; practical problems; nasal, ocular, and other symptoms (p<0.05); and sIgE, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp)-sIgE, and Dermatophagoides farinae (Df)-sIgE levels (p<0.05) than the control group. The sIgE, Dp-sIgE, and Df-sIgE levels were lower in the effective group than in the ineffective group (p<0.05). The areas under the ROC curves of IgE, Dp-sIgE, and Df-sIgE and their combination for predicting the therapeutic effect of mite-specific SCIT on AR were 0.839, 0.779, 0.814, and 0.903, respectively. Mite-specific SCIT relieved clinical symptoms and improved the quality of life of AR patients, probably by decreasing the IgE expression level.