Sublingual Immunotherapy

Seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or perennial (non-seasonal) allergic rhinitis – occurs when the body overreacts to grass pollen or indoor allergens like house dust. The cells lining the nose release histamine which produces symptoms of allergy i.e. sneezing, itchy nose and eyes.

Conventional treatments are antihistamine tablets and nasal steroid sprays. Research indicates that at least 50% of children with asthma have co-existing allergic rhinitis. A promising development called sublingual immunotherapy (desentisation) is now available in Allergy Counts. This is for more severe forms of rhinitis.

It involves the initiation of treatments with grass pollen protein or dust mite allergen in soluble tablet form which are placed under the tongue and dissolve rapidly. This treatment switches off the allergy antibody response and promotes the development of more protective antibodies which do not cause allergy . This is known as sublingual immiuntherapy and usually to be taken over a number of years.

Before immunotherapy can be started it is important to diagnose you allergies precisely using allergy skin prick tests.