Contents:
- Medical Video: What are allergy shots and how do they work?
- How to determine allergies
- Starting immunotherapy
- Subcutaneous and sublingual
- Is this treatment effective?
Medical Video: What are allergy shots and how do they work?
Immunotherapy for allergic treatment (better known as "allergy injections"), is a drug that works by training the immune system to stop excessive reactions to certain allergens. This treatment basically presents the allergen substance in the immune system frequently, and in sufficiently small amounts, to adapt. This process, also called desensitization, is based on the observation that sometimes the immune system can "learn" to at least reduce reactions, or even ignore them, responses to allergens.
This type of treatment is usually carried out under the care of an allergist and immunologist, starting with identifying certain allergens that react to the patient. Allergy sufferers include people with seasonal allergies, permanent allergies, and insect poison allergies. Some patients who are allergic to insect poisons (such as bee stings) may need immunotherapy to reduce the risk of serious, life-threatening reactions. There are no allergic injections for food allergies.
How to determine allergies
There are two methods used to identify patient allergens. The first involves injecting the skin of the back or arm with a diluted solution, which contains a variety of common allergic proteins, such as tree pollen, bacteria, dust mites, and others. The patient's skin is observed for a few moments and evaluated for any visible reactions, such as redness and swelling. The doctor will check the size and other characteristics of each lump that arises, gather information about the patient's immune response to certain allergens.
The second method involves a blood scan and immediately determines antibodies that react to certain allergens in the blood.
Starting immunotherapy
After determining the allergens from patients who are allergic and how serious the reaction is, the doctor will inject a very runny solution containing a little of the attacking allergen. A small amount of this solution is then injected under the outermost layer of the skin, usually on the arm, and the patient is monitored for at least 30 minutes to ensure that he will not suffer an adverse reaction.
In some cases, swelling or redness can develop at the injection site. Patients may experience a systemic reaction, but it rarely occurs. This may involve hives, chest tightness, or wheezing. The most severe condition, allergic reactions can cause a condition called anaphylactic shock. This may involve serious narrowing of the airways which causes shortness of breath and must be resisted with an injection of adrenaline.
After the doctor is sure that the patient will not react to this injection, the patient is stopped until the next injection is scheduled. Over time, the number of allergens gradually increases with the hope that the patient's immune system will eventually build tolerance to them, basically "learning" is done not with the actual attack of allergens and therefore does not guarantee a strong immune response.
Initially, injections are usually given 1-3 times per week, for three to six months. After this enters the development phase, where the number of allergens gradually increases, the maintenance phase begins. During maintenance, it can last for five years or more, the patient receives a maintenance dose once a month.
Subcutaneous and sublingual
Allergy to desensitization therapy using injections under the skin has long been around for almost 100 years. A new method in which therapies that are less at risk of using allergens are placed under the tongue. This method of treatment, in medical terms known as sublingual immunotherapy, is an alternative to injections given under the skin (subcutaneous immunotherapy). This has gradually increased in popularity, at least in Europe and elsewhere throughout the world. It may be less likely to cause a systemic reaction from subcutaneous immunotherapy.
Is this treatment effective?
Regardless of how the therapy is carried out, are allergen-specific immunotherapy effective? The answer is yes. Almost always, actually. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, this therapy is "very effective" against allergic rhinitis and can help prevent allergies caused by asthma too. This is the only treatment that treats allergens, not symptoms.
