D2.524 - How much does wheat oral immunotherapy improve quality of life?

Numerous studies have demonstrated that immunotherapy can improve the quality of life for patients and their families, but few studies have explored the scope and extent to which wheat immunotherapy improves quality of life. This study aimed to investigate these issues by comparing the results of a quality of life questionnaire before and after one year of wheat oral immunotherapy (OIT).

We recruited children diagnosed with wheat allergy through a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC), and provided them with a one-year OIT for wheat. All accompanying parents and children aged 8 years and older completed a validated questionnaire before and after treatment. The questionnaire included questions about quality of life, parental burden, and anxiety and depression. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 28.

A total of 23 children participated in the study, with a mean age of 6.0 ± 3.4 years. The majority of respondents of questionnaires were mothers (69.2%), while only 3 (11.5%) children aged 8 years and older completed the questionnaire. All participating children had a family history of allergies, and 91.3% were breastfed for more than 6 months. Most children (91.3%) reported skin reactions after consuming wheat products before treatment. After a year of treatment, DBPCFC showed that 11 children (47.8%) failed to consume 4,950 mg of wheat protein. However, these children showed partial desensitization to wheat protein, with an average increase in intake of 2,608 mg. Furthermore, only 17 children (73.9%) experienced skin reactions, and 3 of them (13%) experienced respiratory reactions. Comparing questionnaire scores before and after treatment, the average score for the impact of food allergies on quality of life decreased by 0.2 points, the total score for parental burden decreased by 12.6 points (p=0.030), and the total score for the hospital anxiety and depression scale decreased by 2.5 points. There was a significant correlation between children's age and depression (-0.421, p=0.032).

Desensitization to wheat protein after OIT treatment helps improve the quality of life for children and their parents, reducing the burden on parents. Besides, we found that the younger the child, the more severe were mother's depressive symptoms. Therefore, wheat OIT can improve the quality of life for children with wheat allergies and their families. (funded by Health and Medical Research Fund [reference 10210336])