Immunotherapy of asthma and allergic diseases

The goals of therapy for allergic disease and asthma, which have increased dramatically during the past 2 decades, are to relieve and prevent symptoms. Currently, allergen immunotherapy is the only available treatment that can reduce symptoms, alter the natural course of disease, and induce long-term clinical remission effectively and safely in patients with allergic rhinitis, asthma, and insect venom anaphylaxis. Allergen immunotherapy may even prevent the evolution towards polysensitization and prevent the development of asthma in allergic children. In the long run, it is more cost-effective than pharmacotherapy and environmental control measures alone. Future developments, such as using alternate routes of administration, peptide fragments of allergen, adjuvants, and DNA vaccines, may improve its efficiency in inducing long-term clinical relief of symptoms.