Review Articles

Sublingual immunotherapy for the treatment of allergies

Natalie Schellack, D. Engler
South African Family Practice | Vol 58, No 2 : March/April| a4448 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v58i2.4448 | ©
Submitted: 28 March 2016 | Published: 01 March 2016

About the author(s)

Natalie Schellack, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, South Africa
D. Engler, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, South Africa

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Abstract

The treatment of allergies often involves pharmacological therapy and recommendations by healthcare workers that the allergen should be avoided. Allergen-specific immunotherapy has emerged as an alternative to effectively decrease the immunoglobulin (Ig) E:IgG4 ratio. Two routes of administration are described, namely subcutaneous immunotherapy, which has always been considered to be the gold standard of treatment, and sublingual immunotherapy, which has recently been shown to have fewer systemic side-effects and improved compliance by patients.

Keywords

AIT; allergic disease; allergen-specific immunotherapy; allergic rhinitis; clinical efficacy; SCIT; SLIT; subcutaneous immunotherapy; sublingual immunotherapy

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