Desensitization: what is it?

The desensitization – Where immunotherapy specific – is a cure for an allergy. It involves reducing the body’s response toallergen by administering increasing doses of allergen, in order to induce tolerance of the immune system. Desensitization treatment usually lasts several years.

Desensitization concerns allergies to allergens present in theair (mites, pollenanimal hair) and venoms Hymenoptera (wasps, hornets, bees). However, various research works are working on the development of a desensitization treatment against allergy to peanuts.

Desensitization treatment

Before proposing a treatment, the doctor must diagnose theallergy of the patient by means of interrogations, skin tests or even dosages blood. The doctor also takes into account the factors that can aggravate the allergy (smoking, pollution, etc.). Desensitization is offered by a allergist from childhood, from the age of five. There are several ways to administer the treatment:

• by subcutaneous injections every 8 days, then every 15 days and finally every month;
• sublingually: for example, to treat allergy to pollen of grassesthere is the Gravax.

L’treatment efficiency desensitization would be of the order of 70 to 80% for pollens and 50 to 60% for dust mites.