Immunotherapy is the only effective treatment, which acts from the source of the problem, changing the course of the allergic disease, preventing new sensitization and avoiding the development of complications such as asthma in the allergic patient.
The administration of subcutaneous immunotherapy should be carried out monthly under the supervision of a specialist doctor. Treatment consists of administration by injecting the allergen (pollens, mites, fungi, epithelia) to which the patient is sensitized in the arm.
Immunotherapy treats the underlying cause of allergy, and may provide both improvement of symptoms within a few months and long-lasting improvement. This is in contrast to the usual symptomatic medications that are prescribed, such as antihistamines and corticosteroids, which only temporarily relieve the allergy symptoms.
A proper diagnosis can be established based on your disease history and symptoms, and can be confirmed by allergy testing.
A skin prick test ‘provokes’ an allergic reaction by introducing a tiny amount of allergen – the substance which doctors think you may be allergic to – into the skin using a lancet. If you are allergic, the skin will react and something similar to a mosquito bite will appear where the allergen was applied.
A blood test can be used on its own, or to support the results of the skin prick test. The blood is tested for immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, which are substances produced by the body when there is an allergic reaction. If high levels of IgE antibodies are found in the blood and related symptoms are also present, then this will help to confirm the diagnosis.