Slit Adhesion in Brazilian People

Rationale: Although the sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy (SLIT) is a routine treatment in many Latin America countries  there are few studies related to the adherence of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with no reports in the Brazilian population. 

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study with 218 patients from an Allergy and Immunology Service in Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil were performed  in patients with diagnosis of rhinitis and/or asthma that received SLIT for dust mites based on the results of the Prick Test  The participants were divided by sex and  into three age groups: A) 2 to 12 years; B) ≥ 12 years to 18 years ; C) ≥ 18. We evaluated adherence after 4 months (the end of the induction phase) and 12 months of treatment.

Results: The general adherence of SLIT in four months was 66.1% (70.2% in male group and 61.5% in female group).  The analysis of adherence by age, group A showed 70.6% of adherence, B 63.3% and C 61.6 % in the fourth month. After 12 months of treatment , the total of adherence was 46.3 % ( 51.8 % in male and 40.4% in female) and the adherence of the groups A, B and C were, respectively: 52%, 40% and 41.9%.

Conclusions: The SLIT, although it’s safety and easier to manage, has limitations in the adherence on the Brazilian population , especially after the induction phase. The results indicate that  educational proceedings must be perform to improve the SLIT adhesion .