What is immunotherapy?
Allergy vaccines or immunotherapy with allergen extracts are considered by the scientific community to be the only treatment capable of altering the natural course of respiratory allergic diseases. 1
Immunotherapy is indicated in cases of respiratory allergy (pollens, dust mites, fungi and epidermal animal derivatives) and hypersensitivity to hymenoptera venoms (bees and wasps).
It consists of administering increasing concentrations of an allergen, the substance that causes the allergy, until a maximum dose is reached, which can be maintained for a period of 3 to 5 years. Currently, administration schemes differ depending on the indication, the type of extracts and the route of administration.
Your doctor will advise you on the regimen to follow. Due to the differences between products, it is more than necessary to know and differentiate between the different types of immunotherapy available.
What are the benefits? 2
With the allergy vaccination, tolerance to the allergens administered develops, resulting in a reduction or disappearance of the symptoms the patient suffers from when confronted with them naturally. The progressive improvement in the symptoms of the disease (sneezing, watery eyes, wheezing or choking) leads to less need for the medicines indicated for their relief or control (antihistamines, eye drops, bronchodilators, etc.).
Effects induced by immunotherapy with allergens.
Short-term response (fewer symptoms, less need for medication).
Long-term response (persistence of benefit for several years after cessation; in some cases, for life).
Disappearance or marked attenuation of allergic symptoms.
Control of the natural progression of allergic disease:
- Occurrence of bronchial asthma in children with allergic rhinitis.
- Emergence of new allergies.
What types are there?
The two most commonly used routes of administration for immunotherapy are subcutaneous and sublingual. Treatment generally consists of an initiation phase and a maintenance phase. The initiation phase corresponds to the period in which the doses are progressively increased, while the maintenance or continuation phase corresponds to the maximum dose reached, which is administered at regular intervals 3.
Information of interest to the patient 4
(Subcutaneous immunotherapy)
- It can cause local reactions at the injection site and, less frequently, general (systemic) reactions.
- It should be administered in a health center: outpatient clinic, health center, hospital, specialist's office, etc. Never at the patient's home. It is important to respect the periods between each injection indicated in the accompanying leaflet.
- It should be stored in the fridge (preferably on the fridge door). Do not freeze (as they will become unusable and you will have to order a new one).
- Administration of the extract should be postponed if you have:
- An asthma attack.
- A fever or respiratory infection (cold with flu-like symptoms such as malaise, muscle pain, joint pain, shivering or chills).
- Hepatitis, mononucleosis, active tuberculosis or another similar infectious process.
- If you have received an attenuated virus vaccine in the last 7-10 days.
- If you are prescribed another medicine for another illness, please indicate this, as there are medicines that are contraindicated with the administration of vaccines.
- It is advisable not to exercise for at least the next two hours.
- The duration of immunotherapy is generally long: 3 to 5 years.
1. Tabar Purroy A.I., Serrano Delgado P., Beitia Mazuecos J.M., Núñez Acevedo B. Types of immunotherapy. Immunotherapy with allergens. En: SEAIC, AstraZeneca, editors. Tratado de alergología. Tomo I. 2ª ed. Madrid; 2017. p. 1195-1209.
2. Guardia Martínez P., Moreno Aguilar C. Las vacunas contra la alergia o inmunoterapia. En: José Manuel Zubeldia, Mª Luisa Baeza, Ignacio Jáuregui, Carlos J. Senent. Libro de las enfermedades alergénicas de la fundación BBVA. 2.ª ed. Bilbao: Editorial Nerea, S.A.; 2012. p. 445- 452.
3. SEAIC: Sociedad Española de Alergología e Inmunología Clínica (cited on November 21, 2009). Available at: https://www.seaic.org/pacientes/procedimientos-terapeuticos
4. Cartilla de seguimiento de inmunoterapia. SEAIC (Spanish Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology)
