LOCAL NASAL IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH A POWDER EXTRACT FOR GRASS-POLLEN INDUCED RHINITIS IN PEDIATRIC AGES - A CONTROLLED-STUDY

Forty pediatric patients, ranging from 5-13 years of age and suffering from grass pollen rhinoconjunctivitis, were submitted to local nasal preseasonal (12 weeks) immunotherapy, either with a grass pollen extra ct or with placebo. After 1 year, 15 of these patients (5 previously t reated with active product and 10 with placebo) were treated with the grass pollen extract preseasonally for 2 consecutive years. Before and after treatment, serum total IgA and IgE, and specific IgG and IgE we re assayed as well as carrying out nasal provocation tests (NPT) with extracts at different concentrations, endpoint evaluations by rhinoman ometry and prick tests with different concentrations of extract. After only 1 year, the actively treated patients showed a significant decre ase of daily nasal and conjunctival signs and symptoms - as judged by a 1 to 3 score - in comparison with the control group. The placebo gro up showed the same results after the 3rd year. The improvement was con firmed by a significant increase of the dose threshold in NPT. No immu nological alterations were evident.