Can immunotherapy result in a decreased need for asthma medications?

Yes

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by K Vaze

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Immunotherapy for Asthma

Asthma is a terrible illness to have,if you ever had an Asthma attack you will know what it really feels like.Your whole body is trying to get air into your lungs and the lungs are fighting back like an army.Its like a civil war inside your own body.It takes toll on your everyday life.You can't do your daily work.You don't have enough stamina to do anything around the house.It's like moving around with tons of weight tied to your chest,with a couple of dozen tiny whistles hidden inside.

I have sufferred from asthma and allergies since my childhood.I am on Asthma control medications,for more than a decade now .They have worked great for me.I don't have to use my rescue inhaler which has the drug Albuterol in it.I never had an Asthma attack after my doctor started me on this regime.But still I always felt like instead of taking all these medications what if we found something that goes to the root of the problem.

I have always had allergies,Dust,Dust mites,Mold,Cat hair to name the few.So when I heard about the Immunotherapy it caught my interest.I started finding about it more.Within that research I met one lady who is one of my close friends now. She has a very pretty daughter about 12 yrs old who has always suffered with allergies and allergic asthma since she was a baby.She was looking for something to help her daughter and both of us together found out a lot about this immunotherapy.She decided to get her daughters allergic asthma treated with immunotherapy after consulting her pediatrician.And sure enough she responded to the treatment really well.

Within 6 months or so we all saw the improvement in her.Her asthma attacks were less frequent and less severe.Her need to get all the medications was decreased greatly too.She was able to play tag with her friends,ride bike with them around the neighborhood,play kickball at school recess and so on.I was really happy and amazed to see all the improvement in her.She is still undergoing the treatment,but already she has seen change for better in her and her families life.I sure hope that by the time she is done with the therapy,she will get rid of her annoying allergies. Once my doctor gives me green signal to start the therapy I am planning to get it done myself.

WHAT IS IMMUNOTHERAPY AND HOW IT IS DONE

So what exactly do they do in immunotherapy?Most commonly used term for immunotherapy for treating asthma is Allergy Shots.They are not a cure for asthma but they work almost like a vaccine in preventing onset of asthma attack.There are three main steps or stages of immunotherapy.

STEP 1:
First is allergy test to find out what really causes your body to have an asthma attack?.They are called triggers or allergens.There are some specific substances most commonly dust,mold ,pollen,peanuts,cat hair etc which if you are allergic to them can trigger an asthma attack if you come in contact with them.Naturally the first step is to get an allergy test done.Which helps you find out what your culprits are.This allergy test is usually done by injecting little tiny amounts of allergens in your skin.If you show any signs of redness ,swelling or rashes that means you have found one of the triggers.This way you and your physician can find out which substances you are allergic to.

STEP 2:
Second is allergy shots which means actually getting the shots which contain the allergen thats your trigger.The physician will inject small amounts of allergen into your body which will cause your boby to react to the allergen.But since the amount is so tiny usually the reaction is not very severe,most of the time its just only noticible.You have to wait in the doctors office for about 30-40 minutes after the shot to make sure you are not developing any severe side effects to the shot.Your Doctor will advise you how many times and how long you have keep taking these shots.Every time the amount of allergen is increased in small increments which trains your body to develop less severe reaction every time.Usually for first few months you have to get these shots every other week or so.Gradually your body will develop tolerance to that particular allergen.

STEP 3:
Third is maintenance.After you reach your maximum dose of allergen in first session,your Doctor will schedule maintenance shots according to your bodies response.They can vary from once a month to once every three months.It may take up to a year or two for you to really feel the effects of this treatment.But some people might start seeing the benefits of it in just a few days.If it works as it supposed to your allergies will be less severe,and some times they May even go away altogether.

THE DOWNSIDE

1.Not all people will benefit from this.Some may never show any improvements at all in their asthma or allergy symptoms.

2.Some people have very severe reaction to the shots.Thats why you have to wait in physicians office for some time after the shot under observation.

3.Its a long ,time consuming therapy which can last anywhere from 1 to 5 years.

4.It involves many many pricks and shots which some people may find a little painful ,and irritating.

5.Allergy shots are not available for all kinds of allergens.If you are allergic to many different kind of allergens its difficult to undergo this therapy.

6.Physicians can not tell for sure how long will these shots be effective.

7.If you are pregnant,Nursing ,have heart disease,Immune system illnesses,or if you are on certain medications like beta blockers you might not be eligible for this therapy.

8.Children under 5 are not advised to undergo this treatment.

9.with severe or a different kind of asthma which is not considered allergic asthma may not benefit from this therapy.

DIFFERENT METHODS OF IMMUNOTHERAPY

Recently there are many more studies done to improve immunotherapy.There are few more methods that are currently under study which include,

1.ORAL immunotherapy.Where instead of allergy shots,allergens are given in the form of drops placed under your tongue.Its very comfortable form if the patient is a child.

2.INTRANASAL Immunotherapy.Which is taken in the form on nasal sprays.It has shown promise in nasal allergy treatment.

3.RUSH Immunotherapy.Where instead of waiting for 2/3 weeks in between shots,these allergy shots are given every few hours with increasing dose.But with this because of the increased risk,shots are given in hospital under observation.

I am not a great authority on this subject but,this comes to some extent from my own experience and a whole lot of reading and web browsing.There are many resources for you to find out more about this subject like WebMD.com ,PediaricAsthma.com. ,aafa.com(asthma and allergy foundation),national asthmafoundation.org , Cleveland clinic for asthma,and many more.You should always get opinion from an asthma and allergy specialist before making any decisions about this therapy.Resourses for this article are websites mentioned above and many others which give info about asthma and its treatment options.Hope this helps anyone who is interested in immunotherapy .

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