INFLUENCE OF IMMUNOTHERAPY ON HISTAMINE-RELEASE AND OTHER IMMUNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF IMMEDIATE HYPERSENSITIVITY IN POLLINOSIS

Specific immunotherapy in pollen-allergic patients leads to a signific ant time-dependent decrease in the seasonal differences in IgE values, that is, the shorter the duration of immunotherapy, the smaller the d ifference. Immunotherapy leads to a maximum specific histamine release during the first year, with higher values during the pollen season. L ater, the amount of histamine released from basophils decreases gradua lly in relation to the duration of immunotherapy and the clinical reco very, indicating that this would be a useful parameter in the follow-u p of the efficacy of this type of treatment. Inversely, total histamin e, which may be considered a parameter indicating the histamine stored in basophil granules, decreases significantly, reaching its lowest va lues at the end of the first year, with eventual recovery to initial v alues. From these results we may conclude that hyposensitizing treatme nt should not be interrupted before 3 years, since the immunological v ariations of the immediate hypersensitivity parameters take place duri ng the first 2 years, and then stabilize. On the other hand, the corre lation between the degree of recovery after hyposensitizing treatment and the duration of the treatment leads us to recommend immunotherapy for periods longer than 2 years.