Intranasally administered immunoglobulin for the prevention of rhinitis in children

: Heikkinen T, Ruohola A, Ruuskanen O, Waris M, Uhari M, Hammarstrom L

Publisher: LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS

: 1998

Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal

: PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL

: PEDIATR INFECT DIS J

: 17

: 5

: 367

: 372

: 6

: 0891-3668

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00006454-199805000-00004

Objective. To determine the efficacy of intranasally administered immunoglobulin in preventing symptoms of rhinitis in children.Methods. Forty children ages 1 to 4 years who attended day-care centers in Turku, Finland, were enrolled in the double blind, placebo-controlled study. The children were randomly assigned to receive treatment with immunoglobulin, composed mainly of immunoglobulin A, or placebo, both administered as nasal sprays twice daily for 8 weeks. During this medication period and an additional 8-week follow-up period, the parents recorded the symptoms of the children daily in the diaries provided. One child who met an exclusion criterion was withdrawn from the study after a few days of medication.Results. During the 8-week medication period the 19 children in the immunoglobulin group had 42% fewer days with rhinitis than the 20 children receiving placebo (mean, 10.8 vs. 18.7 days; P = 0.004). The total numbers of episodes of rhinitis in the immunoglobulin and placebo groups were 33 and 51, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the groups during the postmedication follow-up period.Conclusions. Intranasal administration of immunoglobulin appears to be an effective method to prevent symptoms of rhinitis in children, and further studies of this approach are needed.

immunoglobulin A, Immunoglobulin G, Nasal mucosa, Passive immunization