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Volume 6 Supplement 1

2nd WAO International Scientific Conference (WISC 2012), Abstracts

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Immunotherapy – 2072. Therapeutic effect and higher safety profile for allergic asthma in Cuban patients with sublingual immunmotherapy using tropical domestic mite allergen vaccines

World Allergy Organization Journal volume 6, pages P154–P155 (2013)Cite this article

Background

Subcutaneous allergen-specific immunotherapy is burdened with the risk of severe systemic reactions; therefore, sublingual administration route has been increasingly investigated worldwide. The goal was to assess the therapeutic effect and safety of allergen therapeutic vaccines of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides siboney and Blomia tropicalis House-Dust mites (VALERGEN, BIOCEN, Cuba) by sublingual route, in asthmatic patients.

Methods

Three Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled clinical trials were performed in 40 patients each, showing asthmatic symptoms and positive predominant Skin Prick Test (SPT) to each mite, respectively. Half of subjects were randomized to placebo. Patients received the treatment consisting on sublingual drops with increasing daily doses for 3 weeks and maintenance doses (2000 BU) twice a week until 12 moths. Therapeutic effect was assessed after 6 and 12 months using symptoms/medication diary cards, peak expiratory flow (PEF) measures and skin sensitivity to investigated mites. Adverse reactions were classified using the World Allergy Organization scale.

Results

The treatment reduced significantly (p<0.01) clinical symptoms (38%, CI95%: 33-44) and medication intake (26%, CI95%:21-32) with respect to placebo. The skin sensitivity to the allergens decreased also significantly (p<0.01). The allergen amount needed to induce a positive SPT increased 52-fold. PEF variability decreased also significantly (p<0.05). The treatment was considered effective in 77% of patients. A major advantage as compared to subcutaneous route was a remarked lower frequency of adverse effects. Local reactions were noted only in 0.43% of administrations. No systemic reactions were observed.

Conclusions

Summarizing sublingual immunotherapy using VALERGEN vaccines is effective and safe in mite-sensitive asthmatic patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Allergens Department, National Center of Bioproducts (BIOCEN), Allergology and General Integral Medicine, La Habana, Cuba

    Raúl Lázaro Castro Almarales

  2. Allergology Department; WAO Member; Cuban Society of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, Member; Cuban Society of Immunology Member, University Hospital General Calixto García, Havana, Cuba

    Mirta Alvarez Castello

  3. Allergen Service, University Hospital "General Calixto García", Cuba

    Mercedes Ronquillo Díaz

  4. Cuban Society of Integral General Medicine, Member; Cuban Society of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, Member; Cuban Society of Immunology Member, Docent Polyclinic "Pedro Fonseca", Havana, Cuba

    Mayda González León & Bárbara Ivonne Navarro Viltres

  5. Cuban Society of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, Mayabeque, Cuba

    Alexis Labrada Rosado

  6. Allergen Service; WAO Member; Cuban Society of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, Member; Cuban Society of Immunology Member, University Hospital General Calixto García, Havana, Cuba

    José S Rodríguez Canosa

  7. Allergen Department; Cuban Society of Immunology, Member; Cuban Society of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, Member, National Center of Bioproducts (BIOCEN), Mayabeque, Cuba

    Yunia Olivia Diaz

  8. Allergen, Biocen, Cuba

    Maytee Mateo Morejón

Authors
  1. Raúl Lázaro Castro Almarales
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  2. Mirta Alvarez Castello
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  3. Mercedes Ronquillo Díaz
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  4. Mayda González León
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  5. Alexis Labrada Rosado
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  6. José S Rodríguez Canosa
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  7. Bárbara Ivonne Navarro Viltres
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  8. Yunia Olivia Diaz
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  9. Maytee Mateo Morejón
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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Almarales, R.L.C., Alvarez Castello, M., Ronquillo Díaz, M. et al. Immunotherapy – 2072. Therapeutic effect and higher safety profile for allergic asthma in Cuban patients with sublingual immunmotherapy using tropical domestic mite allergen vaccines. World Allergy Organ J 6 (Suppl 1), P154–P155 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1939-4551-6-S1-P154

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1939-4551-6-S1-P154

Keywords

World Allergy Organization Journal

ISSN: 1939-4551

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