Review article

Specific Immunotherapy of Allergic Airways Diseases

Mirjana Turkalj ; Dječja bolnica Srebrnjak
Damir Erceg ; Dječja bolnica Srebrnjak
Davor Plavec ; Dječja bolnica Srebrnjak

Abstract

Sensitization to environmental inhalant allergens, such as pollens or house dust mites, is clinically expressed as allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and allergic asthma. The treatment of respiratory allergy is based on allergen avoidance (which is only rarely feasible), drug therapy and allergenspecific immunotherapy (SIT). However, only the latter can act both on the causes and the symptoms of allergy. Moreover, SIT has a preventative role against new sensitizations and development of asthma in patients with allergic rhinitis. SIT is the practice of administering gradually increasing doses of the specific causative allergen to reduce the clinical reactivity of allergic subjects. Although introduced a century ago, it was used as empirical treatment until the 1950s, when the first controlled trial was published. Until the 1980s, the only way to administer SIT was by the subcutaneous injection route (SCIT). To improve safety, the sublingual route (SLIT) was proposed as an alternative route of administration. Today, SLIT is an effective and safe treatment for respiratory allergies and it is a true alternative to SCIT. A very large number of trials provides a good evidence of efficiency of both SCIT and SLIT, which can be currently recommended as optimal treatment for respiratory allergic diseases.

Keywords

allergy; asthma; allergic rhinitis; allergen-specific immunotherapy

Hrčak ID:

81086

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/81086

Publication date:

19.12.2011.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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