[Effect of specific desensitization therapy in combination with an immunopotentiator, Neurotropin, on perennial nasal allergy--with special reference to mite specific IgG and IgG4 antibody levels].

We treated perennial nasal allergy with specific desensitization in combination with or without Neurotropin injections (NSP) from March 1983 to September 1984, and analyzed blood anti-mite IgG and IgG4 levels in relation to therapeutic efficacy. Desensitization and NSP were given once a week and seventy subjects (33 from the desensitization group and 37 from the desensitization + NSP group) were evaluated at 24, 36 and 48 weeks. 1) In total cases clinical usefulness showed no significant difference between the desensitization group and combined group at 24 weeks, while in "useful or more" cases significantly better results were attained in the latter at 24 weeks and 48 weeks (p less than 0.05, respectively). 2) Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D.p.) specific IgG antibody showed no significant difference between both groups as well as in each group during the overall examination period. 3) In total cases both D.p. specific and D. farinae (D.f.) specific IgG4 were significantly higher in the combined group at 24 and 36 weeks (D.p.: p less than 0.01 and D.f.: p less than 0.05, respectively), whereas in "useful or more" cases only D.p. specific IgG4 showed a significant elevation in the combined group at 24 weeks (p less than 0.05). These results suggest that specific desensitization in combination with NSP can promote early production of mite specific IgG4, which tend to rise in correlation with clinical efficacy.