Patient characteristics and treatment satisfaction with 300 IR sublingual allergen immunotherapy for cat allergy: Results from a French survey

• Data on the effectiveness of cat allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is limited. • A survey was conducted to evaluate cat sublingual AIT (SLIT) among French patients. • Before SLIT, most patients used symptomatic drugs for allergic rhinitis or asthma. • Within the first year of SLIT, patients reported improvement in rhinitis symptoms. • The survey shows a clinical benefit of cat SLIT for the relief of allergy symptoms. Although cat allergy is highly prevalent in the French population, it is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Allergen immunotherapy can be an effective etiological treatment for cat allergy, but there is limited data on its effectiveness. To investigate patients' perceptions of allergen immunotherapy effectiveness, a survey was conducted in France in a cohort of patients with cat-associated allergic rhinitis with/without mild-to-moderate allergic asthma and treated with cat allergen liquid sublingual immunotherapy. Patients (5–65 years old) registered in the Stallergenes Greer sublingual immunotherapy dispensation database and treated with 300 IR cat allergen liquid sublingual immunotherapy for more than 12 months were invited to participate in the survey. Data were collected on the patient’s socioeconomic characteristics, past or current cat exposure, allergy history and treatment, and perception of sublingual immunotherapy’s impact on the patient’s health status. Data were analyzed descriptively. Of 617 patients invited to participate in the survey, 197 responded (31.9 %). Most respondents were adults (78.6 %) living in urban areas (64.0 %). The majority (89.8 %) have been suffering from cat allergy for at least 3 years, 86.8 % declared being polyallergic (mainly to house dust mites and pollen), and 63.2 % were receiving multiple treatments. Most respondents (80.8 %) had lived with or were currently living with cats (72.0 % for more than 5 years). Before sublingual immunotherapy initiation, 92 % of patients were using symptomatic medications. The prescription of sublingual immunotherapy was primarily driven by the presence of allergic asthma (61.9 %), followed by allergic rhinitis (54.8 %). Most patients (86.8 %) reported an improvement within the first year of sublingual immunotherapy, particularly regarding rhinitis symptoms (63.2 %), the ability to pet a cat without experiencing symptoms (51.5 %), and a reduction in asthma exacerbations (48.0 %). A significant percentage of patients (59.9 %) reported an improvement in their health status following the initiation of sublingual immunotherapy. The findings from this survey support the clinical benefit of cat sublingual immunotherapy as a valuable therapeutic option for patients with persistent cat allergy symptoms, demonstrating rapid symptom relief and a meaningful improvement in quality of life.