A PROSPECTIVE SAFETY-MONITORING STUDY OF IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH BIOLOGICALLY STANDARDIZED EXTRACTS

We evaluated the safety of immunotherapy in 419 patients who attended our allergy department for treatment. They were suffering from rhiniti s and asthma caused by sensitization to grass pollen or Dermatophagoid es pteronyssinus. Immunotherapy was given by biologically standardized aluminum hydroxide adsorbed extracts according to a conventional sche dule. Local reactions were recorded in 10.5% of the patients and syste mic reactions in 4.8%. Only 0.37% of the doses administered were assoc iated with systemic side-effects. We found that 84% of the patients wh o showed systemic reactions were asthmatic subjects (P < 0.01), and mo st of them were sensitized to D. pteronyssinus (71%). Side-effects occ urred more frequently during the dose-increase period (P < 0.05). Afte r 9482 doses had been administered, no anaphylactic shock or life-thre atening reactions were registered. We believe the risk associated with immunotherapy to be drastically reduced when treatment is carefully m onitored by skilled personnel. In such conditions, as shown by our stu dy, immunotherapy is safe.