Administration Schedules Of Specific Immunotherapy

Allergen-specific immunotherapy is, along with allergen avoidance, the only specific treatment for allergic disorders. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) are the two main forms of administration. Other possible forms of local administration, such as nasal, oral or bronchial immunotherapy, have not yet been proven safe and/or efficacious. There are different preparations for both SCIT and SLIT. In the case of SCIT, aqueous, depot and semidepot preparations are available. With respect to SLIT, there are drops and tablets, the latter, however, up to now only for patients with grass pollen allergy. Current knowledge suggests that success of specific immunotherapy depends on the cumulative dose of allergen administered. This article will present the different administration schedules of immunotherapy, differences in terms of efficacy and safety will not be addressed.