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Efficacy of an in-home test kit in reducing dust mite allergen levels: results of a randomized controlled pilot study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Dust mite allergens can induce allergic sensitization and exacerbate asthma symptoms. Although dust mite reduction and control strategies exist, few asthmatics employ them. OBJECTIVES:We examined whether an in-home test kit, which quantifies dust mite allergen levels, resulted in behavioral changes in implementation and maintenance of mite reduction strategies and helped reduce allergen levels in homes of dust mite-sensitive children. METHODS:We enrolled 60 households of children aged 5-15 with parent-reported dust mite allergy into a randomized controlled trial. Intervention homes (N = 30) received educational material about reducing dust mites and test kits at 1, 2, 5 and 8 months. Control homes (N = 30) received only educational material. At baseline, 6 and 12 months, study staff visited all homes, collected dust samples from three locations and obtained information about parents' mite reduction behaviors by questionnaire. Allergen concentrations (Der f 2/Der p2) in dust were assessed by immunoassays. After adjusting for visit and location, allergen concentrations in intervention and control homes were compared using mixed effects model analysis. RESULTS:In the intervention homes, allergen concentrations in the child's bedroom and living room floors were significantly reduced over time compared to control homes. Although not all location-specific differences in allergen concentrations were statistically significant, combining data across locations, there was a differential reduction in allergen concentrations in the intervention group versus the control group (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION:The use of in-home test kits along with education may beneficially influence behaviors and attitudes toward dust mite reduction strategies and help reduce residential dust mite allergen levels.

SUBMITTER: Winn AK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4769118 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Efficacy of an in-home test kit in reducing dust mite allergen levels: results of a randomized controlled pilot study.

Winn Amber K AK Salo Päivi M PM Klein Cynthia C Sever Michelle L ML Harris Shawn F SF Johndrow David D Crockett Patrick W PW Cohn Richard D RD Zeldin Darryl C DC

The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma 20150824 2

<h4>Background</h4>Dust mite allergens can induce allergic sensitization and exacerbate asthma symptoms. Although dust mite reduction and control strategies exist, few asthmatics employ them.<h4>Objectives</h4>We examined whether an in-home test kit, which quantifies dust mite allergen levels, resulted in behavioral changes in implementation and maintenance of mite reduction strategies and helped reduce allergen levels in homes of dust mite-sensitive children.<h4>Methods</h4>We enrolled 60 house ...[more]

PMID: 26308287

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Project description:BackgroundAllergen immunotherapy (AIT) is a specific treatment of administering clinically important allergens to patients who have allergic diseases. In Japan, the standardized house dust mite (HDM) allergen for subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) was approved in 2015, and we then introduced rush-immunotherapy (rush-IT) using the standardized HDM allergen for HDM-sensitive asthmatics. However, little data are available on the safety and effectiveness of rush-HDM-IT, especially for Japanese asthmatics.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine the safety and clinical effectiveness of rush-IT using the standardized HDM for HDM-sensitive Japanese asthmatics.MethodsThirteen HDM-sensitive asthmatics who received rush-HDM-IT and 12 HDM-sensitive asthmatic controls were enrolled. To evaluate the safety, the number of systemic reaction (SR) events, including anaphylaxis, was assessed. To evaluate the effectiveness, changes in the treatment step, dose of inhaled corticosteroid, and asthma control after rush-HDM-IT and the subsequent maintenance SCIT were assessed. Changes in the HDM-induced production of type 2 cytokines from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were also evaluated.ResultsAmong the 12 patients who received rush-IT, 4 (30.7%) experienced a SR and 3 (23.1%) experienced anaphylaxis. However, the anaphylaxis was not severe (grade 3) in all cases, and they recovered in a short time. The treatment step of asthma was better and the dose of inhaled corticosteroid was lower in the rush-HDM-IT group than in the control group. The HDM-induced production of both interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-13 from peripheral blood mononuclear cells was significantly lower in the rush-HDM-IT group than in the control group.ConclusionRush-HDM-IT can be performed relatively safely in Japanese asthmatics. Furthermore, rush-HDM-IT and the subsequent maintenance SCIT provided clinical improvement in asthma patients, and was accompanied by the suppression of HDM-specific Th2-mediated systemic immune responses.

Dataset Information

Efficacy of an in-home test kit in reducing dust mite allergen levels: results of a randomized controlled pilot study.

Publications

Efficacy of an in-home test kit in reducing dust mite allergen levels: results of a randomized controlled pilot study.

Similar Datasets

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