Impact of Allergen-Specific Subcutaneous Immunotherapy on 12-Month Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Their Parental Caregivers.

Authors

Wenjing Zhou, Xingyu Guo, Bo Ding, Yaqin Li, Yin Lai, Yanming Lu

Published in

Allergy, asthma & immunology research. Volume 18. Issue 4. Pages 584-598.

Abstract

Respiratory allergies impair children's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and increase caregiver burden. While allergen-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is known to improve clinical outcomes, its short-term impact on HRQoL in children and their parental caregivers remains underexplored. We aimed to evaluate the 12-month impact of SCIT on HRQoL, identify the determinants of HRQoL, and assess the correlation between symptom improvements and HRQoL gains.
This prospective study enrolled children with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma receiving either SCIT or standard pharmacotherapy, alongside their parental caregivers. Validated generic and disease-specific HRQoL instruments were administered at baseline and the 12-month follow-up. HRQoL changes were analyzed using paired t-tests and Cohen's d effect sizes (ESs). Factors influencing HRQoL were identified using multivariable regression, and correlations between symptom changes and HRQoL gains were examined.
After 12 months, children in the SCIT group (n = 132) showed significantly greater improvements in HRQoL than those receiving standard pharmacotherapy (n = 120) (ESs: 0.52-1.34 vs. 0.21-1.05), particularly in the domains of "usual activities" and "pain/discomfort." Caregivers in the SCIT group also experienced greater improvements in HRQoL (ESs: 0.54-0.60 vs. 0.23-0.26), particularly in the domains of "exhaustion," "anxiety," and "day-to-day activities." Multivariable regression analysis identified significant factors influencing HRQoL for both children and caregivers, including coexisting allergic conditions, disease control status, SCIT, and caregiver burdens. Symptom improvements with SCIT showed moderate-to-strong correlations with HRQoL gains.
Over a 12-month period, SCIT was associated with significantly greater improvements in HRQoL for children with respiratory allergies and their parental caregivers compared with standard pharmacotherapy. Generic HRQoL instruments demonstrated good sensitivity to short-term treatment-related changes, supporting their utility as complementary outcome measures in SCIT evaluation.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06535087.

PMID:
42547470
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Aug 2026.

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