Clinical effects of hyposensitization using a purified allergen preparation from Timothy pollen as compared to crude aqueous extracts from Timothy pollen and a four-grass pollen mixture respectively.

Most extracts used in hyposensitization are complex and ill-defined mixtures of a large number of antigenic components. A highly refined (purified) and well-characterized allergen preparation from Timothy pollen (Phleum pratense) is now available. This paper describes the results of hyposensitization for 3 years comparing the purified preparation Timothy N, the crude extract Timothy O and a four-grass mix in sixty patients with allergic rhinitis due to grass pollen. The sixty patients were randomized into three groups and compared with a control group not hyposensitized. All three groups showed a significant decrease in clinical symptoms compared with the control group. The Timothy N group had a significantly higher nasal tolerance shown by nasal challenge test after 3 years' treatment than the group treated with the crude extract (P = 0.05). In addition, the Timothy-N-treated patients needed significantly less antihistaminic medication than the patients having received the crude extract or the four-grass mix (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively).