Risk Factors for Safety of Allergen-Specific Sublingual Immunotherapy in Children with Allergic Rhinitis

A good compliance often attributes to good efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). However, few studies have been conducted on the safety of SLIT treatment in children. We aimed to confirm the pretreatment parameters to predict the safety in children who underwent SLIT. 601 children with allergic rhinitis (AR) treated with SLIT were enrolled in this study. Baseline clinical information and laboratory parameters were collected. The clinical response and adverse events (AEs) were recorded and evaluated. A multivariate logistic regression model was established to confirm the predictors for AEs. The AEs were reported in 75 children (13.8%). The serum-specific IgE (s-IgE) level was significantly correlated with the occurrence of AEs by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Our receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of the serum s-IgE levels >21.6 IU/mL had the best sensitivity (83.7%) and specificity (76.7%) to predict safety. The serum s-IgE level was significantly correlated with safety of SLIT in children, which may be helpful for patient selection before SLIT.