Immunotherapy of Pollinosis in Children

Abstract

To evaluate the immunotherapy of ragweed hay fever in a controlled study, 18 of 35 children were given a preseasonal course of whole ragweed extract and showed a significant decrease in clinical symptomatology (p less than 0.001); 13 of these had fewer symptoms than any of the 17 control patients. Immunologic criteria were studied with in vitro histamine-release methods. Reaginic-antibody (IgE) levels did not change significantly in either group; blocking-antibody (IgG) levels increased more than 20-fold in the treated group. The leukocytes of the control patients became, on the average, more sensitive to ragweed antigen whereas those of the treated patients tended to become less sensitive. The cells of a third of the treated children became unable to respond maximally at any antigen concentration. The three children whose cells showed the greatest decrease in reactivity to ragweed antigen had essentially no symptoms attributable to ragweed hay fever.