We already know that subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) improves allergic rhinitis (AR) outcome but little is known if SCIT has an impact on resource use and costs among U.S. children with AR.A study of 520 low-income Florida children with allergic rhinitis found that subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) was associated with significant savings even among children who completed only a fraction of the recommended 3-year treatment regimen. Only 16% of patients completed 3 years of SCIT.
In conslusion, resource use and costs after treatment were significantly reduced from pre-SCIT levels.
Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) can be beneficial in both allergic rhinitis and atopic asthma. For the first time, the new 2007 asthma guidelines by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommend immunotherapy for treatment of asthma, quote from page 195:
“The Expert Panel recommends that allergen immunotherapy be considered for patients who have persistent asthma if evidence is clear of a relationship between symptoms and exposure to an allergen to which the patient is sensitive (Evidence B).”
References:
Study Says Allergy Shots Help Children, Reduce Health Care Costs BioMedEcon Study, First of its Kind in US, Finds Allergy Immunotherapy Beneficial Even When Treatment Not Completed. PharmaLive.com.
Allergy immunotherapy among Medicaid-enrolled children with allergic rhinitis: Patterns of care, resource use, and costs. JACI, Volume 121, Issue 1, Pages 253-254 (January 2008).
Sublingual immunotherapy and subcutaneous immunotherapy: Issues in the United States. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology - Volume 120, Issue 6 (December 2007).
Allergen-specific immunotherapy for respiratory allergies: From meta-analysis to registration and beyond. JACI, 2010.
SCIT ("allergy shots") is at least as potent as pharmacotherapy in controlling the symptoms of allergic rhintis as early as the first season of therapy. JACI, 2011.
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.