Efficacy of Allergen Specific Immunotherapy for Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Allergic rhinitis is a common disease that affect nose causing sneezing, watery nose, nasal itching and redness that affect quality of life, productivity at work or school and may underlies complications (e.g. Asthma) for patients and are often accompanied by itchy eye, redness and lacrimation.

Aim of the Work: The objective of this study is to systematically assess the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy treatment for patients with Allergic Rhinitis.

Method: Our initial search generated a total of 23330 possible relevant titles. Titles, abstracts were preliminary screening so that 22565 were excluded. 154 articles were retrieved in full text the number of studies excluded after assessment of the full text 145, 9 articles met the eligibility criteria and fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the review.

Data Sources: Medline databases (PubMed, Medscape, ScienceDirect. EMF-Portal) and all materials available on the Internet upto 2018.

Data Extraction: If the studies did not fulfill the inclusion criteria, they were excluded. Study quality assessment included whether ethical approval was gained, eligibility criteria specified, appropriate controls, and adequate information and defined assessment measures.

Conclusion: Our systematic review provides evidence that Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) tablets effectively relieve rhinitis symptoms in adults with allergic rhinitis, improve their quality of life and provide data about safety of Sublingual Immunotherapy as there were no serious side effects of using SLIT tablets. Nevertheless, the current evidence may be limited due to sample size and the heterogeneity between studies. Large sample size and multiple center RCTs on the efficacy of different formulations of SLIT drugs are still needed to provide further evidence and more precise recommendations.