| Popis: |
Allergen-specific treatment of allergic diseases has, since the introduction of immunotherapy (hyposensitization) in 1911, formed the cornerstone in allergy treatment. In parallel with the introduction of highly effective and easy to handle drug treatment [4], the number of patients receiving immunotherapy has declined. Immunotherapy has always, and especially in the view of non-allergists, been considered a controversial treatment based on a lack of knowledge of the immunological basis for clinical efficacy, the alchemical mixing of odd allergen extracts, and the risk of inducing systemic side effects. The introduction of high-potency and standardized allergen extracts and recent clarification of the immunological mechanisms of immunotherapy [7] should logically increase the application of this special treatment. However, even among allergists, the use of specific treatment (allergen avoidance and immunotherapy) only makes up a minor component of the treatment armamentarium of allergic disorders. |
