Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2014 May;2(2):91-96. 10.4168/aard.2014.2.2.91.

Sublingual immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis

• Jung SY
• Kim SW

• KMID: 2261742
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2014.2.2.91

Abstract

Allergen specific immunotherapy is a medical treatment aiming at patients suffering from allergies that are insufficiently controlled by symptomatic treatments. Allergen immunotherapy rehabilitates the immune system. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is the historical route of administration and consists of allergen extract injections. SCIT has proven efficacy in allergic rhinitis and asthma, but it requires regular injections at the hospital and carries the risk of potentially serious systemic allergic reactions in response to the treatment itself. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) offers several specific advantages over SCIT. SLIT is more easily administered, avoids cumbersome injections regimens, and carries a much lower risk of anaphylactic shock compared with SCIT. So, this article will discuss the mechanisms of action, advantages, and limitations of SLIT for allergic rhinitis.

Keyword

Immunotherapy; Allergen; Sublingual immunotherapy; Allergic rhinitis

MeSH Terms

Anaphylaxis
Asthma
Desensitization, Immunologic
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Immune System
Immunotherapy
Rhinitis*
Sublingual Immunotherapy*

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Immunologic mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy. IL-10, interleukin 10; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-beta.

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