Efficacy and Safety of Intraseasonal Specific Immunotherapy With Depiquick® Birch

Combined Symptom and Medication Score (SMS)

The SMS represents the sum of the mean daily symptom severity score plus the mean daily rescue medication score. The symptom severity score is defined as the mean of the daily symptom severity scores during the pollen season. The overall severity rhinitis/rhinoconjunctivitis (including nasal itching, sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, ocular itching/grittiness/redness, and ocular tearing) and asthma (including chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, wheezing) will be evaluated by the patient daily

Time frame: date of randomization until 4 weeks after the end of the birch pollen season 2012, assessed up to 5 months

Onset of action (patient's assessment)

Patients will document the point in time when they experience onset of action of the therapy by answering the question "Do you have the feeling that your allergy symptoms are better or less due to SIT today?" with "Yes" or "No".

Time frame: date of randomization until 4 weeks after the end of the birch pollen season 2012, assessed up to 5 months

Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life questionnaire (RQLQ)

The RQLQ is a 28-item disease specific questionnaire designed to measure functional impairments that are most important to patients with rhinitis/rhinoconjunctivitis (Juniper and Guyatt 1991). It consists of 7 domains (activities, sleep, common complaints, practical problems, nasal symptoms, ocular symptoms, and emotions).