ALLERGEN-SPECIFIC IMMUNOTHERAPY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

Abstract

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) represents the unique disease-modifying treatment strategy for IgE mediated allergic diseases. SIT can induce clinical improvement of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma, including reduced symptoms, medication use, and a lower rate of annual asthma exacerbations, with a long-lasting effect after cessation of treatment. Notably, the current asthma guidelines GINA 2022 now recommend sublingual immunotherapy as an add-on therapy for asthma in adults and adolescents more than 12 years age with house dust mite allergy. Clinical indications of SIT, mechanisms of immunological tolerance to allergens, and clinical efficacy outcomes are presented in this article.