Retention adherence to therapy as a guarantee of the SLIT efficacy

Abstract

According to WHO at last 50% of the patient don't follow doctor’s recommendations. Ultimately, this leads to a decrease or absence of the treatment effect. In this regard, all the latest international and national guidelines mention the need to take into account the patient’s preferences in the choice of therapy. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is one of the main methods of treatment of allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and atopic asthma, and has disease modifying properties and the long-term efficacy after stop treatment. AIT refers to a preventive and long-term method (recommended for at least 3 years), that is often the cause of reduced adherence to therapy. Various studies have confirmed the dose-dependent effect of AIT, and, consequently, changes in regimens or shortening of therapy may affect the end result. In case of insufficient effectiveness of AIT, the probability of low compliance should be considered first of all. Sublingual AIT (SLIT) requires the patient to be highly involved in the treatment process. The task of the doctor in this case is increasing therapeutic cooperation, as one of the most important factors to ensure the effectiveness of SLIT. The main methods in this case are to improve the patient’s understanding of the purpose of the therapy and regular monitoring by the doctor.