Subcutaneous immunotherapy takes more than the time in the clinic

Figures & data

Figure 1. Flowchart of the study population selection.

Table 1. Demographics.

	Adults	Caregivers
Gender composition
Male, % (n)	68% (72)	59% (112)
Female, % (n)	32% (34)	41% (79)
Mean age, years	42	38
Median household income category, $	$75,000 to $99,999	$75,000 to $99,999
Median EQ-5D score, all	0.77	–
Median EQ-5D score, with asthma	0.74
Median EQ-5D score. without asthma	0.82

Table 2. Disease-specific characteristics.

	Adults	Children
Mean age when respondent experienced first symptoms, years (n)	20 (106)	6.39 (191)
Mean age of diagnosis, years (n)^a	22 (97)	6.36 (186)
Comorbidities, % (n)
Asthma	65% (69)	65% (125)
Allergies affecting the respondents the most, % (n)
Allergies to animals (dogs, cats, horses, etc.)	51% (54)	57% (109)
Allergies to pollen (grasses, weeds, trees, etc.)	32% (34)	36% (68)
Allergies to house dust mites	13% (14)	7% (13)
Other year-round allergies (cockroaches, mold, etc.)	4% (4)	1% (1)
Allergy symptoms, % (n)
Stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing or post-nasal drip	92% (98)	92% (175)
Itchy, red or watery eyes	51% (54)	56% (106)
Shortness of breath, chest tightness or pain, coughing or wheezing	42% (44)	41% (79)
Itchy skin reactions or skin pain, or redness of the skin	21% (22)	36% (69)
The symptoms are troublesome	67% (71)	70% (133)
Monoallergic vs. polyallergic, % (n)
Monoallergic	25% (26)	17% (32)
Polyallergic	75% (80)	83% (159)
Medication use, % (n)
Oral antihistamines	77% (82)	83% (159)
Decongestants	78% (83)	87% (166)
Nasal sprays and drops	79% (84)	86% (164)
Eye drops	78% (83)	80% (152)
Medication use every day (of those using the medication), % (n)
Oral antihistamines	68% (56)	59% (86)
Decongestants	13% (30)	24% (40)
Nasal sprays and drops	37% (31)	29% (47)
Eye drops	33% (27)	30% (46)

^aMean age of diagnosis is calculated for respondents who have been diagnosed by a physician.

Figure 2. The time consumption and direct costs associated with one visit at the clinic for subcutaneous immunotherapy, median, inter quantile range.

Table 3. Time consumption and costs related to SCIT.

	Adults	Caregivers
Transportation
By car (driver)	75%	64%
By car (passenger)	14%	29%
By taxi/Über	5%	4%
By public transportation	1%	1%
By bike/motorbike/walking	2%	1%
Other ways	1%	0%
I don’t know/Can’t remember	2%	1%
Missed work due to AIT/accompanying a child to AIT^a
Fully	58%	32%
Partly	10%	44%
No	32 %	24%
Received AIT during school hours (children)
Fully	–	67%
Partly	–	19%
No	–	14%
Productivity loss, median^b
Time missed at work, hours	4	4^c

Abbreviation. SCIT, Subcutaneous immunotherapy. ^aFor caregivers: a combination of the adults accompanying the child to the clinic. ^bProductivity loss for the respondents who fully or partly missed work due to AIT. ^cTotal missed time at work for the adult(s) accompanying a child to the clinic.