How Immunotherapy is Changing
Lives for People with Allergies
Article by Hormazd Sanjana, M.D.
(BPT) - Every year, more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and as pollen production grows in intensity and duration due to longer freeze-free periods, that number is only expected to rise. For chronic allergy sufferers, this can mean battling symptoms around the calendar, year after year.
Allergies pose a genuine health risk beyond stuffy noses and itchy, watery eyes. Those with intense allergic symptoms find their quality of life drastically affected, leading to missed school and workdays, or even emergency room visits. Severe allergy sufferers may experience intense congestion, sneezing, hives or eczema, plus difficulty breathing.
Of the 26 million Americans who suffer from asthma, around 60% have allergic asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, meaning that the serious, life-threatening respiratory distress of asthma is triggered by allergic reactions to pollen and other substances.
Over-the-counter antihistamines and other allergy medications can provide temporary relief, but long-term relief requires finding a specialist for inconvenient office treatments often multiple times a week for several years in a row. Or does it?
Immunotherapy at home
The standard of care for allergy treatment, immunotherapy, was introduced in 1911 based on the positive