I hope you are all very well, it is already Thursday, we are about to enter the end of what is the second week of this year, do not stop taking care of yourselves, do not neglect your health.
Yesterday I shared a post in which I talked about allergies and their production mechanism as well as the cells involved. Publication entitled Let's understand how allergies occur, and at the end I mentioned a way to minimize allergy symptoms called "allergen-specific immunotherapy ", and offered to share information about it.
So if you want to know more about this system for "treating" allergy symptoms, I invite you to read on as what I am about to share is sure to interest you.
Let us remember that we are talking about allergies, the reactions that these produce can be defined as an allergic reaction is an excessive response of the immune system to a substance (allergen) that is normally harmless for most people This response can cause symptoms such as rhinitis, asthma, urticaria, skin rashes and, in severe cases, anaphylactic shock and death.
They have been looking for decades for a solution to this problem, at the moment antihistamines are very often used, also in some cases steroids are indicated, however, there is a way to make these symptoms are less in terms of expression, which makes it look like a good option for treatment and prevention.
In some opportunities it is usually called Allergy Vaccine, obviously it is not such, even though it could resemble the operation to what a vaccine produces in the body, but it is better to call it allergen-specific immunotherapy, and that is what we are going to talk about here.
You are probably wondering What does allergen-specific immunotherapy consist of?, I will try to explain it as easy as possible, it is also relatively new knowledge for me, but it is still good to socialize this knowledge.
Allergen-specific immunotherapy (also known as "serum immunotherapy" or "sublingual immunotherapy") is a long-term treatment used to relieve the symptoms of respiratory allergies, such as pollen or mold allergy.
It consists of gradually exposing the patient to small amounts of the allergen responsible for the allergy. The gradual exposure helps the immune system to adapt and develop tolerance to the allergen, which generally reduces allergy symptoms..
Special tests must be done beforehand to determine what the person is allergic to, in order to be able to act in a specific way when exposing the patient to the allergen.
Nowadays there is a great arsenal of tests that allow to know what a person is allergic to, I will mention below the most used ones:
-1 Skin tests: in skin tests, a small amount of a suspected substance is applied to the skin and a reaction is observed.
-2 Blood tests: these tests look for the presence of specific antibodies called IgE in the blood that indicate an allergic reaction to a particular substance.
-3 Nasal or bronchial challenge tests: in these tests, the patient is exposed to a small amount of a suspected substance and observed to see if symptoms develop.
Once the allergens that affect a person are determined, it is determined which method will be used as immunotherapy.
There are two types of allergen-specific immunotherapy:
Subcutaneous injection: which consists of regular injections of an allergen preparation into the subcutaneous tissue (under the skin) over a period of several months or even years.
Sublingual: which consists of taking drops or tablets of an allergen preparation under the tongue, which is done in the form of self-injection.
Both types are considered safe and effective but sublingual is considered less invasive and more comfortable for the patient, its treatment time is shorter, and its effectiveness is similar to that of subcutaneous injection.
It is important to note that allergen-specific immunotherapy does not cure the allergy, but it helps to reduce the severity of symptoms and reduce the need for antihistamine and steroid medications.
There is one important factor that always plays against the permanence of treatment, and that is the duration of immunotherapy administration, as this can vary depending on the type of treatment and the patient. Some immunotherapies are administered continuously for months or years, while others are administered for a shorter period, but even so, it is a long time if we consider that most of the treatments to which people are exposed are only a few days.
I want to emphasize that specific allergen immunotherapy is an effective treatment for some allergies, especially allergies to dust mites, trees, grasses and weeds. It helps reduce allergy symptoms and may reduce the need for antihistamines or corticosteroids.
It is also important to note that efficacy varies from patient to patient. This is logical, as we are all different, and may react differently to the same allergen.
Some statistical data.
The statistics speak well of this treatment, it has a statistically significant efficacy in patients with allergy to pollens and dust mites, with a decrease of 50-60% of symptoms and a decrease in allergic medications needed, lasting up to several years after treatment. In other allergies, such as food allergies or allergies to insects or medications, the evidence is lower, being less effective.
The efficacy of immunotherapy is greater in patients with stable and moderate symptoms, and who have demonstrated allergy in skin tests or in specific IgE studies.
I have seen skin tests performed, as well as blood tests to determine allergies, but I have not yet seen this type of immunotherapy performed in person, but now I feel more confident to talk about it, and also to be able to guide patients who need it. Did you know about this treatment, do you have anything to add,? if so, please share your thoughts in the comments section and we can all benefit from it.