ASIT is a method of treating allergic diseases, consisting in the introduction into the patient’s body of increasing doses of the allergen to which hypersensitivity has been identified and which causes clinical manifestations of the disease.
The goal of treatment is to develop a patient’s tolerance (decrease in sensitivity) to allergens hostile to the patient in their natural habitat. In other words – “training” the immune system. You receive a series of injections or drops of allergens hostile to you (house dust mites, pollen, etc.) in a gradually increasing concentration, resulting in increased resistance to these allergens.
ASIT is a year-round therapy for about 3 years. Usually ASIT is carried out in two stages: 1-stage of increasing the dose and 2-stage of maintenance therapy. The stage of maintenance therapy in my patients on average ranged from 1 to 1.5 years, which did not reduce the effectiveness of therapy.
The effectiveness of ASIT remains after the end of treatment for several years and directly depends on the total dose of the allergen received during the course of treatment. In the management protocols for imported allergens, it is recommended to continue treatment for 3 to 5 years. The frequency of ASIT depends on the duration of remission (absence of allergy symptoms) and on the degree of exacerbation in each individual case.
The period of remission at the end of ASIT lasts an average of 10-12 years. In some patients, after 1 course (within 3 years), a stable lifelong remission is provided. For some, symptoms may return earlier, after 3 to 5 years. With the resumption of symptoms, a repeat of the ASIT course is possible. With the repeated course of ASIT, the effect, as a rule, comes faster and is more persistent.
The development of the pharmaceutical industry and the creation of new allergy vaccines using highly purified allergens expands the possibilities of this highly effective method of treating allergic diseases. ASIT is carried out both by injection-subcutaneous injections and drip under the tongue (sublingually).
The choice of a method and an allergenic drug for ASIT should be based on an individual approach in each specific case and, first of all, on the presence of clinically pronounced sensitization, i.e. if you have symptoms of allergy to a specific allergen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergen.
The optimal age of patients for whom ASIT is recommended is from 5 to 55 years. In my practice, I recommend conducting for children from 7 years old, since a 5-year-old child is not yet able to describe an accurate subjective assessment of his reactions, if they appear.