House Dust Mite Desensitisation

What is Allergy Immunotherapy (Desensitisation)?

Allergy immunotherapy treatment, sometimes referred to as ‘desensitisation’, was first used almost a century ago and is today widely regarded as safe and effective as well as being a fully licensed treatment.

Immunotherapy is backed up by extensive scientific research. Recently, Acarizax became the first fully licensed Dust mite Allergen tablet in the UK, as a result of rigorous assessment of its safety and effectiveness. Desensitisation works by exposing the immune system to regular high doses of an allergen extract in order to reduce allergic symptoms. This then dampens the immune response, which reduces the severity of symptoms and the need for medication.

House dust mite allergy is common and can cause persistent and irritating symptoms int he eyes and nose as well as more troublesome sinus symptoms and exacerbate asthma. While existing medications such as anti­histamines and steroid based medicines can alleviate some of the suffering, symptoms continue to bother many throughout the year. Such patients can often benefit from immunotherapy, which reduces or turns off the body’s response to the dust mite allergen (actually the mite’s faeces rather than the mite itself). Immunotherapy is the only treatment which affects the underlying cause of an allergy by retraining the immune system into becoming less allergic and therefore improving symptoms significantly.

How Does Immunotherapy (Desensitisation) Work?

Immunotherapy works by administering the patient with regular high doses of an allergen extract in order to reduce allergic symptoms. This then dampens the immune response, which reduces the severity of symptoms and the need for medication.

Because the immune system has a memory, the effects of immunotherapy may continue to be felt for years after the treatment is complete. Unlike any other existing allergy treatments, immunotherapy can therefore have long term benefits and in children it has been shown to prevent the future development of additional allergies and asthma symptoms.

Tablets are taken under the tongue (sublingual) daily.  Over time this reduces the reactivity to the allergen (desensitisation).

What are the benefits of allergen immunotherapy?

Large scientific studies have confirmed that immunotherapy can be used to reduce the symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma caused by dust mites. Most patients receiving treatment also report needing to use less medication. As immunotherapy actually changes the way the body’s immune system reacts to the allergen, the beneficial effects continue beyond the 3 years that the treatment is given for.

Using immunotherapy from an early age may actually prevent new allergies developing and reduce the likelihood of getting asthma in later life. However, immunotherapy only works against a particular allergen. So, for example, having immunotherapy to dust mite may help with the symptoms this causes but will not help with hafever caused by allergy to pollens.

There are different ways of performing desensitisation. These include:

• Subcutaneous Immunotherapy: this involves giving a series of injections to desensitise the patient. We currently do this for grass pollen, tree pollen and allergy to insect stings but much less commonly to dust mite due to the number of injections required and possible severe side effects.
• Sublingual Immunotherapy: Recent advances have meant that immunotherapy can now be given without injections. Instead, the allergen extract is given under the tongue either by tablets or drops. This method is very safe and severe reactions are extremely rare although the first dose of treatment is still given under careful supervision in the hospital. This makes it a more suitable treatment for asthmatics, as long as their asthma is well controlled. Whilst sublingual immunotherapy avoids the need for injections it does need to be taken on a daily basis either all year or through the whole year for a total of 3 years. Importantly, in both adults and children, it has been shown that a 3 year course of treatment has an effect that can last for years after the treatment has finished, confirming that it has a long term impact on the immune system. As it is a newer treatment, there is less information regarding how long the beneficial effects last after the end of treatment and how well it prevents the development of asthma, but large studies have strongly suggested a meaningful preventative effect.

Our doctors will discuss with you which type of immunotherapy may be best suited for you. Once a decision has been reached, you will be provided with more detailed information about the particular type of treatment.

Food desensitisation is an area of increasing interest and we are already using this in our practice (eg for peanut, milk and egg allergy).

How Does Immunotherapy (Desensitisation) Help Dust Mite Allergies?

Pollen allergy treatment via desensitsation reduces the immune response to dust mites.

Daily doses of the allergen extract are given to the patient, which are taken sublingually (under the tongue), and this dampens the immune response and reduces the severity of the symptoms during the next hay fever period.

What Are The Side Effects Of Immunotherapy (Desensitisation)?

Like all medicines, sublingual immunotherapy can potentially cause side effects. In the early stages of treatment it is common to experience the following within a few minutes of taking a dose:

• Mouth itching
• Irritating sensation

This is a mild allergic reaction and in most cases settles down within 20 minutes of starting treatment but can be alleviated with simple over-the-counter antihistamines, such as cetirizine or loratidine.

What Is The Success Rate Of Immunotherapy (Desensitisation)?

Most patients receiving sublingual immunotherapy report an improvement in symptoms and less use of traditional treatments, such as antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays. In addition, using sublingual immunotherapy from an early age may actually prevent new allergies developing.