How does allergy desensitization work

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Allergen immunotherapy is beneficial in certain allergic conditions Allergen immunotherapy is usually recommended for the treatment of potentially life threatening allergic reactions to stinging insects. Allergen immunotherapy is often recommended for treatment of allergic rhinitis hay fever due to pollen or dust mite allergy and sometimes asthma when: Symptoms are severe. The cause is difficult to avoid, such as grass pollen.

Medications don't help or cause adverse side effects. People prefer to avoid medications. Immunotherapy injections versus sublingual immunotherapy Immunotherapy has been given by injection for more than years and many studies prove that it is effective.

Immunotherapy injections Allergy injections start with a very low dose. Side effects of immunotherapy injections Some patients develop a localised swelling at the site of the injection.

Patients are normally advised to: Remain in their doctor's surgery for at least 30 minutes after injection. Avoid exercising for at least 3 hours afterwards. Avoid some heart and blood pressure medications e. Must be discussed with the prescribing doctor. Taking a non-sedating oral antihistamine before the injection may reduce the risk of side effects and may be recommended by your doctor. Sublingual immunotherapy The potential advantages of sublingual treatment are those of no injections, fewer regular doctor visits, home dosing after the first treatment, and a lower risk of serious reactions.

It is not yet clear if sublingual immunotherapy is as effective as allergy injections. Common methods for taking the allergen extracts: Take in the morning on an empty stomach. Allergy shots work like a vaccine. Your body responds to injected amounts of a particular allergen, given in gradually increasing doses, by developing immunity or tolerance to the allergen.

This involves receiving injections with increasing amounts of the allergens about one to two times per week. The length of this phase depends upon how often the injections are received, but generally ranges from three to six months. This begins once the effective dose is reached.

The effective maintenance dose depends on your level of allergen sensitivity and your response to the build-up phase. During the maintenance phase, there will be longer periods of time between treatments, ranging from two to four weeks. You may notice a decrease in symptoms during the build-up phase, but it may take as long as 12 months on the maintenance dose to notice an improvement. If allergy shots are successful, maintenance treatment is generally continued for three to five years.

Everything you need to do every day, whether it is meeting a deadline at work or pursuing a new hobby, will be easier. Some people are allergic to certain trees, grasses, and pollens that only grow during certain times of the year. People commonly experience worse allergies during the autumn months as dry leaves fall and accumulate in large piles. Other people with seasonal allergies suffer the most during the spring and summer when certain plants start to grow. In fact, it may be more difficult to create effective coping strategies when allergies are seasonal.

Consider desensitization therapy, so you can feel good regardless of the time of year. One frustrating thing about allergies is allergy symptoms mimic the symptoms of respiratory illnesses, such as the flu or common cold. Sometimes, allergies can be managed with over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Other times, allergy management involves prescription medications that must be filled at a pharmacy.

You also have to go somewhere else to fill the prescriptions, keep them on you at all times, and remember to take the appropriate dosage as directed. Moreover, you have to deal with side effects to experience allergy relief. Desensitization therapy eliminates your allergies and your need to take expensive prescription medications daily.

If you love spending time outdoors, it can be hard to decide whether you want to go hiking while drowsy or suffering from allergy symptoms. Luckily, you can enjoy nature to the fullest when you cure your allergies. Dust may result in an asthma attack. Some people clean obsessively. Others remove carpets, drapes, and stuffed animals from their home because they are difficult to clean. With desensitization therapy, you can keep stuffed animals and carpets in your home without vacuuming and steam cleaning daily.

Telling your child your pet needs to be rehomed because it triggers her allergies is heartbreaking. Regrettably, people are commonly allergic to pet dander and purchase or adopt a pet that is not hypoallergenic. Then, they have to make the difficult decision to rehome the pet to relieve allergy symptoms, keep the pet outdoors, or suffer from allergies at home.

With desensitization therapy, you will not have to say goodbye to your beloved family pet. A key cytokine involved in reversing the immune and inflammatory response to allergens is IL Secreted from the induced T reg cells, IL has shown direct and indirect suppressive activity. In addition, IL has suppressive effects on mast cells and basophils. Finally, IL suppresses the inflammatory effects caused by mediators released from mast cells, basophils and eosinophils. These key suppressive effects by IL have incited new interest in this molecule not only for allergy treatment but also in its potential role in cancer.

Our own study is consistent with this key role of IL in differentiating between an allergic versus healthy response to an allergen challenge. Comparing the response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from allergic fungal rhinosinusitis versus healthy control individuals to fungal antigens, only healthy non-allergic individuals responded to the fungal antigen challenges with increases in IL secretion.

Additional studies in the AFRS patients will be necessary to determine if increasing IL and T reg cells represents a desired target effect for any future treatment.