The house dust mite is one of the most common
allergens worldwide. There is good evidence that house dust mite subcutaneous
immunotherapy is efficacious and has long-term benefit in children. However, the evidence of the benefit of house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is less convincing. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate that efficacy and safety of dust mite SLIT in children with
asthma. Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases until February 2014 were searched. The primary outcome was mean change in
asthma symptom score. Secondary outcomes included mean change in serum
immunoglobulin G4 (sIgG4), specific Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus,
immunoglobulin E (
IgE) levels, and medication score. Safety was also assessed. We found that SLIT significantly decreased
asthma symptom score (P = 0.007) and increased sIgG4 levels (P = 0.011) greater than control in children (<18 years of age) with
asthma. There was no difference between SLIT and control groups in specific D pteronyssinus
IgE levels (P = 0.076) and medication score (P = 0.408). The safety profile was similar between groups. Our study indicates that dust mite SLIT
therapy was effective in reducing
asthma symptoms and in increasing sIgG4 but did not significantly reduce medication scores or specific D pteronyssinus
IgE levels. Our findings are not enough to support the use of dust mite SLIT in children with
asthma.