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HOUSE DUST MITE ALLERGY - HOW TO WIN?
BRANKO PEVEC
; Department of Clinical Immunology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology, Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
MIRA RADULOVIĆ PEVEC
; Department of Clinical Immunology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology, Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
ASJA STIPIĆ MARKOVIĆ
; Department of Clinical Immunology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology, Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
IRENA BATIŠTA
; Immunological Laboratory, Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Manifestations of house dust mite allergy include perennial allergic rhinitis often accompanied by ocular symptoms, allergic asthma, and somewhat rarer atopic dermatitis. Sensitization to mite tropomyosin may lead to hypersensitivity to certain foodstuffs. Allergic sensitization and development of the disease are connected to the level of allergen exposure, indicating that the patients’ home exposure to mite allergens is a useful indicator of their risk. Since the possibility of allergen avoidance is limited, and available pharmacological treatments have just symptomatic effects, the only causative treatment for mite allergy is speciic immunotherapy. Its well-documented clinical effects include reduction of symptoms, prevention of the disease severity progression, and prevention of sensitization to new allergens. Immunological parameters show characteristic dynamics during treatment, which
is also relected in gradual reduction of the skin reactivity towards the allergen. Despite ample evidence and a hundred-year use in clinical practice, the eficacy of speciic immunotherapy is sometimes still questioned. The aim of this paper is to show that, when properly indicated with due consideration of the person’s sensitization proile, it is a very successful treatment method.
Keywords
house dust mites; perennial rhinitis; allergic asthma; atopic dermatitis; food allergy; allergen quantity; guanine test; speciic immunotherapy
Hrčak ID:
97236
URI
Publication date:
14.2.2013.
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