Quality of life of the SQ house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy tablet in Italian adolescents with house dust mite-induced allergic rhinitis.

Abstract

House dust mite (HDM) is the most common cause of perennial allergy worldwide, causing allergic rhinitis with or without conjunctivitis (AR/C). HDM-related clinical manifestations can be treated with allergy pharmacotherapy or allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in selected cases. AIT is acknowledged as the only therapeutic approach capable of modifying the course of allergic diseases. SQ HDM-SLIT tablets (Accarizax; Merck & Co, Kenilworth, NJ/ALK-Abellò, Hørsholm, Denmark) ensures a constant potency ratio of major HDM allergens of the Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DERM_PT) and Dermatophagoides farinae (DERM_FA) HDM species and has demonstrated beneficial effects on allergic rhinoconjunctivitis outcomes. In Italy, rhinoconjunctivitis affects up to as many as 40% of adolescents, but no studies on HDM AIT quality of life (QoL) regarding this exclusive cohort of patients have been specifically conducted. The aim of this study is to evaluate SQ HDM SLIT tablets' performance in improving QoL in Italian adolescents. To assess the treatment at T0, T1, and T2, we employed the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ(s)), a standardized self-administered questionnaire designed for Italian patients aged 12 and above. RQLQ(s) median values at T2 and T1 were significantly lower than those at T0 (p-values equal to 0.0018 and 0.0051 for T0 vs. T2 and T0 vs. T1, respectively). Our findings suggest that the QoL of SQ HDM SLIT tablet is highly promising, demonstrating substantial potential in alleviating signs and symptoms. Our data suggest that QoL significantly improved with SQ-HDM SLIT, highlighting the potential importance of introducing this therapy for selected cases.