Table 2.
Summary of oral immunotherapy trials
| Study | Design | Allergen | Total pts (A/P) | Disease | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Björkstén et al36 | PC | Birch pollen | 24 (16/8) | ARC | ↓ symptom scores, conjunctival sensitivity |
| Möller et al37 | DBPC | Birch pollen | 30 (14/16) | ARC | ↓ symptom scores, SPT, conjunctival sensitivity |
| Taudorf et al38 | DBPC | Birch pollen | 43 (20/23) | ARC ± asthma | ↓ eye symptoms score, conjunctival sensitivity ↓ nasal symptom score, nasal sensitivity, medication use (NS) |
| Van Niekerk and De Wet39 | DBPC + CO | Grass/maize pollen | 30 (14/16) | ARC | ↓ symptom scores, SPT, conjunctival sensitivity |
| Leng et al40 | DBPC | Artemisia pollen | 18 (9/9) | Asthma | ↓ bronchial sensitivity |
| Litwin et al41 | Open | Ragweed pollen | 18 (9/9) | ARC | ↓ symptoms |
| Litwin et al43 | DBPC | Ragweed pollen | 41 (21/20) | AR | ↓ symptom-medication scores |
| Van Deusen et al44 | DBPC | Ragweed pollen | 23 (12/11) | AR | ↓ nasal sensitivity; ↓ symptom scores (NS) |
| Ariano et al45 | DBPC | Parietaria pollen | 30 (15/15) | AR ± asthma | ↓ symptom scores, medication use, nasal/bronchial sensitivity |
| Mosbech et al46 | DBPC | Grass pollen | 42 (20/22) | ARC | No change in medication use or symptom scores |
| Oppenheimer et al49 | DBPC | Cat | 48 (23/25) | ARC | No difference in symptoms or SPT |
| Giovane et al47 | DBPC | D. pteronyssinus | 18 (10/8) | Asthma ± ARC | ↓ symptom scores, conjunctival sensitivity; no change in SPT |
Abbreviations: pts, patients; A/P, active/placebo; PC, placebo-controlled; DBPC, double-blind placebo-controlled; CO, crossover; ARC, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis; AR, allergic rhinitis; SPT, skin-prick test; NS, not significant; ↓, decreased.