Treating grass pollen allergies with shots year-round might be more effective than prescribing therapy seasonally and might even last longer, according to a small study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology annual meeting.

The study involved 37 patients with allergic rhinitis patients, including 22 who underwent pre-seasonal subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and 15 who underwent perennial treatment with an extract of grass pollen.

When treatment ended after three years, the symptom and medication score in the perennial group had dropped from 8.6 to 2.6, while the score in the pre-seasonal group dropped from 8.2 to 3.6 (p<0.05).

Fifteen years after treatment had begun, the perennial treatment group had a score of 3.9, while the pre-seasonal group had a score of 5.1.

The perennial group also reported significantly fewer new sensitizations and less asthma development, while adverse events were similar between the two groups.

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