Allergen immunotherapy is a disease-modifying treatment that aims to address the underlying cause of allergic disease rather than simply controlling symptoms. Through the repeated exposure to small, controlled quantities of specific allergens, the immune system may gradually become less sensitive to those allergens, building tolerance.
At clinics in the Austral network, we are committed to offering the broadest range of treatments in Australia to ensure that we’ve got the best option for you. This includes immunotherapy for food allergies as well as environmental triggers like dust, grass pollen and cats.
Environmental Immunotherapy
In Australia, allergen immunotherapy has historically been used mostly for environmental allergies such as house dust mite and grass pollen allergy. Two principal approaches are available:
- Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) – allergen extracts administered by injection in a supervised clinical setting.
- Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) – allergen extracts administered under the tongue, allowing treatment to continue at home following initial medical supervision.
For appropriately selected patients, allergen immunotherapy may reduce symptom severity, decrease reliance on medications, and improve quality of life. Treatment requires a long-term commitment and should be undertaken following a comprehensive assessment by an appropriately trained clinician.
Food Immunotherapy:
Australia has lagged behind the international rise of immunotherapy for food allergies in the last decade, and it’s exciting to see more opportunities have opened up for effective alternatives to avoiding food triggers:
Oral Immunotherapy (OIT)
Small amounts of the trigger food are eaten, initially in controlled challenge doses in the clinic and then at home, daily, in gradually increasing amounts. The aim of this therapy is generally to maximise the ability to consume the target food, and ideally, eating it freely.
Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)
Allergen extracts administered under the tongue, allowing treatment to continue at home following initial medical supervision. The aim of this therapy is generally to tolerate a small fixed quantity of this food with less severe reactions or minimal reaction in case of accidental exposure.
Low Oral Dose Exposure (LODE)
Small amounts of the trigger food are trialled in the clinic and then if well tolerated continued in very low doses at home. This option sits between SLIT and OIT but is also generally aimed at ‘bite-proofing’ or reducing the risk of severe reactions rather than being able to eat the food in question.
For appropriately selected patients, allergen immunotherapy may reduce symptom severity, decrease reliance on medications and allergen avoidance, and improve quality of life. Treatment absolutely requires a long-term commitment from the patient and often their family, and should be undertaken following a comprehensive assessment by an appropriately trained clinician.
