Sublingual immunotherapy: what we can learn from the European experience

Purpose of reviewTo review the recent European studies on sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). SLIT is currently widely used in Europe and is gaining popularity in the United States.Recent findingsLonger treatment with SLIT compared with subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is needed to reduce the rhinitis symptoms in house dust mite (HDM) allergic children. SLIT appears to be well tolerated and effective for treating rhinitis and asthma in children, adults, and the elderly. Studies on HDM, grass, and ragweed have demonstrated posttreatment efficacy in both monosensitized and polysensitized patients.SummarySLIT has been shown to be an effective treatment for airway allergies, and recent studies give support for the use of SLIT as the first choice for allergy treatment compared with medication and SCIT. The use of SLIT may potentially improve the compliance of allergen immunotherapy and may make allergy treatment more accessible and well tolerated.