Relevant Patient Benefit of Sublingual Immunotherapy with Birch Pollen Allergen Extract in Allergic Rhinitis: An Open, Prospective, Non-Interventional Study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Relevant Patient Benefit of Sublingual Immunotherapy with Birch Pollen Allergen Extract in Allergic Rhinitis: An Open, Prospective, Non-Interventional Study

AU - Blome, Christine

AU - Hadler, Meike

AU - Karagiannis, Efstrathios

AU - Kisch, Julia

AU - Neht, Christopher

AU - Kressel, Nora

AU - Augustin, Matthias

PY - 2020/6

Y1 - 2020/6

N2 - INTRODUCTION: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with birch pollen extract has been shown to be an efficacious treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR). An as-yet unanswered question is whether and how clinical benefit translates into patient benefit, i.e. what benefit patients derive from this treatment.METHODS: This 1-year, open, prospective, multicenter, non-interventional study conducted in 75 German centers measured patient-relevant benefit of birch pollen SLIT (Staloral® Birch) using the questionnaire "Patient Benefit Index for Allergic Rhinitis (PBI-AR)". At treatment onset, patients rated the importance of 25 treatment needs; after the first birch pollen season on treatment, goal achievement was evaluated. A preference-weighted benefit index was calculated and its association with gender, asthma, allergy status, and severity of AR symptoms was determined.RESULTS: Mean age of the 291 adult patients was 38.8 years; 58.4% were female. The most important treatment goals were to "be able to stay outdoors without symptoms" (87.3% quite or very important), "no longer have a runny or stuffed-up nose" (86.9%), and "be able to breathe through your nose more freely" (86.9%). The treatment goals with the highest benefit ratings (referring to those patients to whom the respective goal applied) were to "have confidence in the therapy" (60.5% has helped "quite" or "very much"), "have an easily applicable treatment" (55.6%), and "be able to breathe through my nose more freely" (51.7%). The average PBI-AR global score was 2.19 (SD 1.04) (0-4; with 4 indicating maximum benefit). No significant differences in PBI-AR global score or subscales were found between men and women, poly- and monoallergic patients, or patients with severe versus mild rhinoconjunctivitis. Patients with asthma reported relevant but lower benefit than patients without asthma.CONCLUSION: After 1 year of birch pollen SLIT treatment, patients reported considerable benefit, mainly due to a reduction of physical symptoms and treatment burden.

AB - INTRODUCTION: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with birch pollen extract has been shown to be an efficacious treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR). An as-yet unanswered question is whether and how clinical benefit translates into patient benefit, i.e. what benefit patients derive from this treatment.METHODS: This 1-year, open, prospective, multicenter, non-interventional study conducted in 75 German centers measured patient-relevant benefit of birch pollen SLIT (Staloral® Birch) using the questionnaire "Patient Benefit Index for Allergic Rhinitis (PBI-AR)". At treatment onset, patients rated the importance of 25 treatment needs; after the first birch pollen season on treatment, goal achievement was evaluated. A preference-weighted benefit index was calculated and its association with gender, asthma, allergy status, and severity of AR symptoms was determined.RESULTS: Mean age of the 291 adult patients was 38.8 years; 58.4% were female. The most important treatment goals were to "be able to stay outdoors without symptoms" (87.3% quite or very important), "no longer have a runny or stuffed-up nose" (86.9%), and "be able to breathe through your nose more freely" (86.9%). The treatment goals with the highest benefit ratings (referring to those patients to whom the respective goal applied) were to "have confidence in the therapy" (60.5% has helped "quite" or "very much"), "have an easily applicable treatment" (55.6%), and "be able to breathe through my nose more freely" (51.7%). The average PBI-AR global score was 2.19 (SD 1.04) (0-4; with 4 indicating maximum benefit). No significant differences in PBI-AR global score or subscales were found between men and women, poly- and monoallergic patients, or patients with severe versus mild rhinoconjunctivitis. Patients with asthma reported relevant but lower benefit than patients without asthma.CONCLUSION: After 1 year of birch pollen SLIT treatment, patients reported considerable benefit, mainly due to a reduction of physical symptoms and treatment burden.

U2 - 10.1007/s12325-020-01345-7

DO - 10.1007/s12325-020-01345-7

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 32342352

VL - 37

SP - 2932

EP - 2945

JO - ADV THER

JF - ADV THER

SN - 0741-238X

IS - 6

ER -