What Is the Scientific Evidence for Sublingual Immunotherapy?
Perhaps the best evidence for the effectiveness of SLIT involves treatment of allergic rhinitis (hay fever). For example, in a double-blind study of 855 adults with grass allergies, SLIT using grass pollen tablets for approximately 18 weeks markedly reduced allergy symptoms, 1 including nasal congestion and itchy eyes. Marked benefits for most common hay fever symptoms were also seen in another double-blind study enrolling 634 people. 2,19 In a third double-blind study involving 105 patients, SLIT lead to a significant improvement over placebo in symptoms of rhinitis and conjunctivitis due to grass and rye pollen allergies. Skin reactivity to these allergens, a more objective sign of allergy, also showed a more substantial reduction in patients using SLIT. 19 Other studies have also shown benefit for hay fever caused by grass pollen or other allergens, 14,21,22 including dust mites and tree pollen. 5-8 However, in a 2008 comprehensive review of studies investigating SLIT for grass poll
