Expert explains

“Will immunotherapy help with my allergy?”

Allergy symptoms can severely affect quality of life.(Bild: Martin Villadsen - stock.adobe.c)

Readers ask, experts answer on the most pressing health issues. Helga W. (31): "My allergy symptoms are already giving me a hard time in February. Antihistamines only help in the short term. Could immunotherapy be the long-term solution for me?"

Dr. Stefan Edlinger, ENT specialist, Medizin am Markt medical center in Vienna: "Allergies, especially seasonal allergies, can have a significant impact on quality of life. Standard treatment with antihistamines and other symptom-relieving medication often only provides temporary relief. It is also not always easy to avoid contact with allergens. In this context, immunotherapy, often known as allergy vaccination, is a promising long-term treatment option.

Immunotherapy aims to retrain the body's immune system to be less sensitive to allergens that trigger seasonal symptoms, such as pollen from grasses, trees and weeds. This approach can be done either via subcutaneous injections (SCIT) or via sublingual tablets or drops (SLIT). Both methods aim to build up tolerance to the allergen by gradually and continuously exposing the body to the allergen.

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For you, immunotherapy may well be an effective strategy to control seasonal allergy symptoms in the long term. It is important to first perform specialized testing to find the offending allergens that are triggering your symptoms. Based on this information, you can then plan a customized immunotherapy.