Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 15: Recent research has revealed that allergic rhinitis (AR) can significantly influence COVID-19 symptom patterns, showing both protective and risk associations, while sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) further modifies respiratory and systemic outcomes.
Allergic Rhinitis and COVID-19 Symptom Patterns
A study in China assessed 1,368 participants shortly after adjustments to COVID-19 response measures, including 746 individuals with allergic rhinitis and 622 controls without allergic diseases. Among those with AR, 122 were receiving sublingual immunotherapy, while 483 were not.
Key findings:
• Patients with AR had a lower likelihood of respiratory symptoms, indicating a potential protective effect.
• However, AR was linked to a higher risk of olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) dysfunctions, as well as fever, suggesting complex modulation of immune responses during viral infection.
Role of Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT)
In patients with AR:
• SLIT was associated with a higher risk of respiratory symptoms compared with AR patients not receiving immunotherapy.
• Conversely, SLIT was linked to a lower risk of fever.
• SLIT did not significantly affect smell or taste disturbances.
These results suggest that immunomodulatory treatment may alter specific inflammatory pathways, impacting respiratory and systemic manifestations of COVID-19.
• Clinicians should carefully evaluate respiratory symptoms when considering the continuation or initiation of SLIT in AR patients during periods of high COVID-19 transmission.
• The altered risk of fever underscores the need for close monitoring and tailored clinical assessment.
• Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind these associations and to inform personalised treatment strategies for patients with allergic rhinitis.
This study underscores the nuanced interplay between allergic conditions, immunotherapy, and COVID-19, highlighting the importance of individualized clinical decision-making.