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Exhaled breath temperature could assess efficacy of grass pollen SLIT

Researchers now suggest that the efficacy of grass pollen sublingual immunotherapy can be assessed by way of exhaled breath temperature, according to a recent study.

“Measurement of exhaled breath temperature has been suggested as a new method for detecting and monitoring disease processes in the respiratory system,” researchers wrote.

Tanya Z. Kralimarkova

They assessed 51 patients (25 in the active treatment group, 26 in the placebo group) before and during the pollen season in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, according to researchers.

The mean pre– vs. in-season increase in exhaled breath temperature appeared significantly less in the active treatment group (59.1%) compared with the placebo group (P=.03), and only the blood periostin level increased significantly during pollen season (P=.047) without in-group differences, researchers wrote.

In addition, the mean pre– vs. in-season increase visual analog scale score was 32.3% lower in the active treatment plan vs. the placebo group. However, the difference was not significant (P=.116), according to data.

These findings confirm the difficulty in determining the placebo effect in studies based on the subjective self-reporting of symptoms, the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.