Involves placement of an allergen under the tongue for local absorption to desensitize an allergic individual to diminish allergic symptoms.
Easier to administer than subcutaneous immunotherapy, does not require injections and can be administered at home.
Involves putting allergen extracts under the tongue of a patient with allergic reactions and then swallowing the extracts.
It allows the patient to become tolerant to the allergen by absorbing the allergen through the stomach.
Allergen immunotherapy is a medical treatment for allergic patients with severe respiratory allergies insufficiently controlled by symptomatic treatments.
Allergen immunotherapy re-educates the immune system by administering increasing doses of allergens to induce specific long-term tolerance.
Sublingual immunotherapy is known to have a better safety profile than subcutaneous immunotherapy.
With sublingual route the patient can take the treatment at home, while ensuring the efficacy.
Sublingual immunotherapy is capable of modifying or stopping the progression of allergies, but requires identifying the allergic nature of the disease and the allergens involved.
Sublingual immunotherapy consists of drops or tablets, containing specific allergen extracts which interact with the immune system to decrease allergic sensitivity.
The process starts with dendritic cells in the oral mucosa acting as antigen presenting cells (APC) to T-cells in the cervical lymph nodes.
The sublingual dendritic cells secrete interleukin 10 (IL-10) which induces regulatory T cells to inhibit the inflammatory response, modulating the allergic response by creating immune tolerance to antigens.
The sublingual mucosa also has pro-inflammatory cells, such as mast cells, and the long term changes that occur with immunotherapy include a decrease in mast cell sensitivity and a decrease in IgE production by mucosal B-cells.
Sublingual immunotherapy decreases in the IgE/IgG4 and decreases in the TH1/TH2 ratio.
Clinical studies confirmed sublingual immunotherapy’s efficacy and safety profile.
Can be used in adults and children with pollen rhinitis.
Sublingual immunotherapy treatments usually contain higher allergen doses than subcutaneous immunotherapy treatments.
Both subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy have similar efficacy.
Sublingual immunotherapy seems to have better patient compliance in clinical practice.
Sublingual immunotherapy is a less expensive treatment option than both the subcutaneous injections and symptomatic medicines.
One reply on “Sublingual immunotherapy”
Thanks for pointing out that Sublingual Immunotherapy would be safer compared to subcutaneous immunotherapy which can actually be taken at home. I wonder if this can be useful for my sister because she has a problem with seafood. She loves shrimp, but she can’t eat them now that she is older because she suddenly got allergic reaction these past few months now everytime she consumes such food.