Many publications about sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) have been cited in recent years. Sublingual immunotherapy is widely used in Europe as a form of desensitization. Desensitization is a method of making a person less sensitive to allergy triggers (for example pollen, dust mites, cat, dog).
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Untitled Comment
J.A.T.
Sunday, April 06, 2008 at 04:18 AMre: Untitled Comment
James Thompson, MD
Sunday, April 06, 2008 at 12:29 PMDear JAT,
Thank you for your comments. Allergens in Europe are not identical to allergens in the United States. I think there is enough experience with SLIT here (though not FDA approved) to expect similar benefits once many other details (discussed in the article) are worked out. The allergens that are unique to Europe would not be used in SLIT or SCIT in this country.
Many people would choose sublingual treatment over allergy shots if they offered the same benefits. If future clinical trials more consistently show as good or better results from SLIT compared to SCIT, the choice will be clear. We are far away from such a comparison as it stands. The fact that SLIT is not FDA approved is a major issue.
I hope your mom and sister are in the 80% that respond well to allergy shots.
Again thank you for your comments and questions.
J. Thompson MD
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sublingual immunotherapy
TYRONE L. DANIELS, MD FACC
Monday, April 07, 2008 at 10:58 AMGood review. I found it very informative. This form of therapy may be an alternative for my family members that need immunotherapy
replyre: sublingual immunotherapy
James Thompson, MD
Monday, April 07, 2008 at 09:54 PMDr. Daniels,
Thank you for comments. Please visit and share more with us in the future.
J. Thompson, MD
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Untitled Comment
Katie
Monday, April 07, 2008 at 10:20 PMDr. Thompson,
Two questions:
Can SLIT also treat animal allergies, and if so would allergic animal owners be eligible for the treatment?
Also, you stated that SLIT will only treat one allergy, ie. dust mite, so is there no way to use multiple SLIT for different allergies, just as multiple injections are given in SCIT?
replyre: Untitled Comment
James Thompson, MD
Tuesday, April 08, 2008 at 08:41 AMKatie,
Your comments and questions are appreciated. SLIT offers an alternative to allergy shots but has several shortcomings as discussed in the posting. SLIT has been done with both cat and dog allergen in Europe and in the United States (not FDA approved here). Published reports reflect better outcomes with cat desensitization. When SLIT becomes available pet extracts will likely be an option.
Few studies have shown effective desensitization to more than one unrelated allergen (for example grasses and trees, or ragweed, cat and dust mite). One problem is the increased volume of extract required to be placed under the tongue as more allergens are included. A second problem is the escalation of the cost when multiple allergens are involved. There are clinical trials being conducted to address these issues. As you mentioned, allergy shots (SCIT) offer multiple allergen desensitization.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts,
J. Thompson, MD
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SLIT is helping me
Sara
Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 08:36 PMI am in the U.S. and have been taking allergy drops (SLIT) for about 7 months now. There is a clinic in La Crosse, Wis. (Allergy Associates) that offers SLIT. Since it is not FDA approved, the drops are unfortunately often not covered by insurance.
I am pretty badly allergic to animal dander and I have a few other mild allergies. The drops I am using do contain multiple antigens. They seem to be helping me become gradually less allergic to cats. At my last appointment, my skin prick test showed I was less allergic than I was at my initial visit.
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It is great news that we are creating better means to treat allergies. I am a part of a family in which these very problems are quite common. SCIT and other extensive medications have always been a pain (no pun intended) to both my mother and my sister. I am curious about the ways in which foreign allergens differ from ours. How will these differences manifest themselves in treatment of American allergens? Are these differences significant enough to change SLIT's effectiveness when used in countries where trials have not been done?
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