Allergen Immunotherapy - Benefits From Immunotherapy

Benefits From Immunotherapy

Current pharmacotherapies (antihistamines) do not prevent allergic reaction, but instead block the action of histamine in the body, reducing allergic symptoms. Immunotherapy, in contrast, trains the immune system to tolerate allergic triggers by means of gradual exposure to increasing amounts of the offending allergen. The benefits of allergen specific immunotherapy are long lasting unlike symptomatic based treatments. Immunotherapy is most effective for pollen, dust, and animal dander allergies, and may help those with asthma.

Treatment started 10 – 14 weeks before the start of the grass pollen season results in a 34% reduction of rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms and a 54% increase in well days. Continued treatment over 2 years in the case of grass allergy shows progressive immunological changes resulting in progressive desensitisation to the allergen with up to an 73 percent reduction in symptomatology. About 3 in 4 patients with hay fever experience significant improvement with immunotherapy after one year of therapy. However, with continued therapy the number of people benefiting from specific immunotherapy appears to increase to over 4 in 5 people who benefit from specific immunotherapy by the end of the 2nd year of therapy. Sometimes symptoms are reduced rather than abolished. In that case immunotherapy may allow the patient to reduce the quantity of medication required for symptom relief.

Research in children aged from 5 years old to 16 years old shows similar effectiveness in the treatment of grass allergy as seen in adults. Like in adults allergen related asthma also decreases as well as allergic rhinitis symptoms. Recent studies in children suggest that if immunotherapy is commenced soon after allergies first develop, it may actually reduce the risk of developing allergic reactions to other allergens, and even reduce the risk of later developing asthma.

Immunotherapy is also an essential part of managing dangerous allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) to bee and wasp stings. In these cases, the protection against further dangerous allergic reactions to stinging insects is variously quoted at between 80 and 95%.