Allergen immunotherapy (AIT)
Essential allergy information for you
Allergen immunotherapy (AIT), which used to be known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is the only form of allergy treatment that addresses the root cause of an allergy.
It relieves symptoms and prevents allergies from becoming more severe. For example, AIT can impede allergic rhinitis from developing into allergic bronchial asthma. It can also stop asthma symptoms from getting worse. What’s more, it can help reduce the need for symptomatic medication, thereby improving patients’ quality of life. AIT can also help prevent the body from developing sensitizations to more allergens.
To support AIT, patients should avoid allergy triggers and use symptomatic medication to relieve symptoms.
Allergen avoidance
Allergen avoidance is a cornerstone of reducing the symptoms of allergic disease. It requires identifying the clinically relevant allergens. For a lasting reduction of the allergen load, it is essential to take comprehensive and consistent avoidance measures over an extended period.
Symptomatic treatment
To treat allergies, in addition to allergen immunotherapy and allergen avoidance, symptomatic treatment (with antiallergic drugs) is key. Antiallergics suppress the immune system’s response to allergens and relieve allergy symptoms, such as rhinitis, asthma or itching. They take effect quickly and can help prevent permanent tissue damage caused by allergic processes in the body when used as a long-term treatment. Their effect only lasts as long as they are taken, however, which fundamentally distinguishes them from allergen immunotherapy, which treats the allergy’s root cause.
