Most patients with asthma have rhinitis suggesting the concept of ‘one airway one disease’ or ‘united airways’. However, not all patients with rhinitis present with asthma.According to a study published in Allergy, immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis in children prevents the development of asthma for up to 7 years after treatment ends. Immunotherapy was administered for 3 years with high-dose standardized allergen extracts and the total study period was 10 years.
According to the authors, "immunotherapy should be recognized not only as first line therapeutic treatment for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis but also as secondary preventive treatment for respiratory allergic disease."
On a side note, the whole September issue of Allergy is devoted to allergic rhinitis.
Mind map of seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Read more in Short Review: Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis.
References:
Immunotherapy Prevents Asthma Over Long Term in Children With Allergic Rhinitis. Medscape, 08/2007.
Specific immunotherapy has long-term preventive effect of seasonal and perennial asthma: 10-year follow-up on the PAT study. Allergy. 2007;62:943-948.
Specific Immunotherapy Useful for Childhood Seasonal Allergic Asthma. Medscape, 2006; J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006;117:263-268.
Links between allergic rhinitis and asthma still reinforced. P. Demoly, P. J. Bousquet (2008). Allergy 63 (3), 251–254.
Image source: Wikipedia, a Creative Commons license.
Updated: 02/06/2008