Allergen Immunotherapy

Allergen immunotherapy (also termed hyposensitization therapyvia IV, immunologic desensitization, hyposensibilization, or allergen-specific immunotherapy) is a form of immunotherapy for allergic disorders in which the patient is vaccinated with increasingly larger doses of an allergen (substances to which they are allergic) with the aim of inducing immunologic tolerance. Allergen specific immunotherapy is the only treatment strategy which treats the underlying cause of the allergic disorder. It is a highly cost-effective treatment strategy which results in an improved quality of life and a reduction in allergic- and allergen-related asthma, as well as a reduction in days off school/work. Immunotherapy has been shown to produce long-term remission of allergic symptoms, reduce severity of associated asthma, as well as reduce the chances of new sensitisations to allergens developing. This is achieved via immunotherapy modulating the immune system response to allergens.

Allergen immunotherapy can either reduce the need for medication, severity of symptoms or eliminate hypersensitivity altogether. Therapy can be administered under the tongue (sublingually) or by injections under the skin (subcutaneous). Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only known treatment option that is known to modify the allergy disease process (with a possible chance of curing the disease), whereas other therapies merely suppress the symptoms. Subcutaneous injection immunotherapy has been shown to be a highly efficient treatment for allergic disease, but due to a rare serious side effect of anaphylaxis, its use is restricted to specialist centers. As a result there has been growing interest in the sublingual immunotherapy which can be safely administered at home.