|
Inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study population |
| Inclusion criteria |
| • aged 6–18 years |
| • history of allergic rhinitis for at least 1 year |
| • IgE antibodies ≥0.7 kU/l to house dust mite |
| • no use of nasal steroids in the month before start of baseline measurements |
| • rhinitis symptom score of at least 4 out of 12 during last 3 months |
| • signed informed consent |
| Exclusion criteria |
| • severe asthma (requiring 800 mcg budesonide daily or equivalent for other inhaled steroids; or requiring >3 courses of oral prednisone/prednisolone in previous year or required hospital stay for asthma in previous year) |
| • sensitization to pets present at home (IgE antibodies ≥0.7 kU/l) |
| • planned surgery of nasal cavity |
| • having received immunotherapy in past 3 years |
| • language barrier |
| • contraindications to sublingual immunotherapy (as supplied by the manufacturer) |
de Bot et al. BMC Family Practice 2008 9:59 doi:10.1186/1471-2296-9-59 |