MAY 21, 2012
Cornea/External Disease
This prospective study found subcutaneous allergen-specific immunotherapy (SCIT) more effective than topical treatment for vernal keratoconjunctivitis.
The authors randomized 64 patients with bilateral vernal keratoconjunctivitis to topical treatment or subcutaneous injection of different allergens. The intradermal test for each group of patients showed that 62 percent were sensitive to pollens, 19 percent to house dust and 19 percent to more than one allergen.
SCIT was more effective at improving the clinical symptoms and reducing total serum immunoglobulin. Seventy-two percent of SCIT-treated patients showed a marked clinical improvement compared to 59 percent of topically treated patients (P < 0.05). Also, 72 percent of SCIT-treated cases showed a reduction in serum immunoglobulin, compared to 56 percent in the topical group. There were no systemic or local side effects of subcutaneous immunotherapy.
The authors conclude that further research is required to determine the role of combined therapy using both methods in the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis.