Hyposensitization is a therapy that attempts to curb the effects of allergic diseases. Hyposensitization involves introducing small amounts of allergenic substances into the body. The goal of the treatment is that habituation to the allergy-causing substances occurs and the immune system‘s exaggerated reactions no longer occur.
What is hyposensitization?
Hyposensitization is a therapy that attempts to curb the effects of allergic diseases. Hyposensitization is also known as allergy vaccination. Today, orthodox medicine offers hyposensitization as the only therapy that aims to treat allergies causally. The name is composed of the Greek prefix “hypo”, which in this context has the meaning of “weaken” and the Latin term “sensus” for sensation. This describes what the therapy is intended to achieve. The body’s immune system is accustomed to allergenic substances such as pollen or house dust mites by repeated and steadily increasing doses. The immune system should no longer perceive the substances as a threat. It learns to classify contact with these allergenic substances as completely normal. For the patient this training of the own immune system should achieve that the tormenting symptoms of the allergy such as itchy skin, continuous flowing rhinitis, reddened eyes and irritated mucous membranes of the respiratory tract improve after a completed hypodesensitization or are even completely gone. Another goal is to prevent the development of further allergies with hyposensitization. In the case of hay fever, the therapy is intended to prevent the dreaded “change of stage”. This is an expansion of allergic respiratory reactions into asthmatic symptoms.
Function, effect, and goals
More and more people in industrialized countries suffer from allergic reactions. The reasons for the expansion of patient numbers are not known. There is speculation that a childhood spent in an overly sterile environment may promote the potential for allergy. Studies have shown that children who grow up on farms are considerably less likely to suffer from hay fever than city children. The contact with different animals and with nature on a farm is probably a particularly good training for the immune system. Pollen from grasses and flowers swirls around everywhere during the growing season. No one can completely avoid them. Dust mites and molds are other substances that are everywhere in our environment. If they do not occur in a particularly high concentration, they do not pose a threat to our immune system. Nevertheless, more and more people suffer from exaggerated reactions to these substances. In most cases, it is an allergic reaction of the immediate type caused by the substances mentioned. But also food, animal hair and other substances surrounding us, which are actually harmless, can cause health problems. Today, there are medications that are supposed to dampen the immune response. However, these drugs cannot change the cause of the problem. Before hyposensitization, an allergy test is performed by the attending physician, in which the reactions to various allergenic substances are tested. After that, it is determined to which substances the hypodesensitization should extend. Usually the allergens are injected in minute means. That is why it is also called subcutaneous immunotherapy. In recent years, new methods have been developed in which the allergens can be taken as drops or tablets. However, there is not yet as much experience about the effect of this form of hyposensitization as there is with injection therapy. The treatment extends over several years, during which the immune system is repeatedly brought into contact with allergens. Hyposensitization as immune training is recommended if the allergic symptoms severely burden the patient’s quality of life or if there is a risk of aggravation towards asthma. Hyposensitization is not equally suitable for all patients. There are exclusion criteria that speak against allergy vaccination. Those who engage in hyposensitization must plan a lot of time for the numerous treatment appointments.After the injection, the patient should spend some time in the practice to check whether there are any violent reactions to contact with the allergen that require emergency care. In people suffering from other diseases and regularly taking medications, the decision for hyposensitization must be weighed especially carefully. In case of cardiovascular diseases, hyperthyroidism, rheumatic diseases, immunodeficiencies and other severe chronic conditions, the therapy must not be performed. Hyposensitization has proven most successful in relieving hay fever symptoms. In the case of exaggerated reactions to molds or cat dander, the efficiency of the therapy has not yet been sufficiently proven.
Risks, side effects, and hazards
Hyposensitization carries the risk that unforeseen allergic reactions, including allergic shock, may develop during therapy. In most cases, however, the immune system’s response is limited to redness at the injection site from the syringe needle, itching, or mild swelling of the skin. Other side effects of the therapy may include problems in the gastrointestinal tract or sensations of discomfort in the mucous membrane of the mouth. The length of the treatment and the side effects are a reason for many patients to discontinue the therapy prematurely. It is considered a success of the years of therapy if the symptoms are weaker or have disappeared completely when coming into contact with allergens. In practice, however, it has been shown that in some patients the symptoms can intensify again after some time. Meanwhile, there are also immunotherapies that are completed in a few weeks or days. In this case, however, the risk of allergic shock is considerably greater than in the case of habituation to the allergens over a period of years. The success rate of rapid procedures is currently still highly controversial among experts.
