The Role of Active B Cells in Allergen Immunotherapy

Abstract

Background The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in B lymphocyte subsets in patients receiving allergen immunotherapy. Methods B lymphocyte subsets of patients before immunotherapy and one year after immunotherapy began were examined using the flow cytometric method. Age-matched healthy children served as the control group. Results Twenty-two patients with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis and 14 healthy, age-matched controls were included in the study. The median age of the patients was 13 years old (range: 6–20 years), and eleven (50.0%) were male. The median age of the healthy controls was also 13 years old (range: 7–17), and seven (50.0%) were male. In the age group from 11 to 15 years; the patients’ relative and absolute counts of active and mature sensitive B cells were higher than those of the healthy children (p = 0.027–0.012 and p = 0.032–0.010, respectively) before immunotherapy. The relative and absolute counts of active B cells before immunotherapy were also significantly higher than those of after immunotherapy (p = 0.001–0.001, p = 0.025–0.037, and p = 0.029–0.035, respectively). Before immunotherapy, the relative and absolute counts of mature sensitive B cells were significantly higher than those obtained after immunotherapy (p = 0.024–0.006) in the 11–15-year-old age group. Conclusions Allergen immunotherapy directly influences B cell differentiation and causes a decrease in the count of active B cells. This finding is relevant because the B cell count can be used as a guide in the assessment of an individual patient's treatment response and also when determining whether to continue the immunotherapy. © 2017 SEICAP