Sublingual immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis

Su Young Jung; Sung Wan Kim

doi:10.4168/aard.2014.2.2.91

Journal List > Allergy Asthma Respir Dis > v.2(2) > 1059076

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Jung and Kim: Sublingual immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis

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Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease 2014; 2(2): 91-96.

Published online: 31 May 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2014.2.2.91

Sublingual immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis

Su Young Jung, Sung Wan Kim

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyung Hee Medical Center, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Correspondence to: Sung Wan Kim. Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyung Hee Medical Center, 23 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-872, Korea. Tel: +82-2-958-8474, Fax: +82-2-958-8470, drkimsw@hanmail.net

Received 14 November 2013 Revised 3 December 2013 Accepted 24 January 2014

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/).

Abstract

Allergen specific immunotherapy is a medical treatment aiming at patients suffering from allergies that are insufficiently controlled by symptomatic treatments. Allergen immunotherapy rehabilitates the immune system. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is the historical route of administration and consists of allergen extract injections. SCIT has proven efficacy in allergic rhinitis and asthma, but it requires regular injections at the hospital and carries the risk of potentially serious systemic allergic reactions in response to the treatment itself. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) offers several specific advantages over SCIT. SLIT is more easily administered, avoids cumbersome injections regimens, and carries a much lower risk of anaphylactic shock compared with SCIT. So, this article will discuss the mechanisms of action, advantages, and limitations of SLIT for allergic rhinitis.

Keywords: Immunotherapy, Allergen, Sublingual immunotherapy, Allergic rhinitis

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Immunologic mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy. IL-10, interleukin 10; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-beta.

Table 1

Comparison between sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapy

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