Cost Saving Study Of Five Grass Pollen Slit Tablet Versus Scit's & Symptomatic Treatment.

INTRODUCTION •Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic disease of the upper respiratory tract caused by exposure to allergens inducing inflammation of the nasal mucosa and of the conjunctiva mediated by antibody Immunoglobulin E (IgE). •According to local literature, prevalence of symptomatic AR is around 20% and grass pollen is the most common allergen causing AR in Turkey. 5% of these patients suffer from moderate and severe AR still remain uncontrolled despite symptomatic treatment (Cingi, C et al, (2010), ‘Prevalence of allergic rhinitis among the adult population in Turkey’, Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 130: 600–606.) , Ait-Khaled, N et al, (2009), ‘Global map of the prevalence of symptoms ofrhinoconjunctivitis in children: The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Three’, Allergy, 64. 123-148. •Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is recommended as a second line treatment for patients with moderate to severe allergic rhinitis not or poorly controlled by symptomatic treatments. •The Five Grass Pollen Sublingual Tablet (5GPST) is an alternative AIT in Turkey.