A Review of Allergy and Allergen Specific Immunotherapy

Since 20th  century, when allergy was defined, an ongoing attempt for discovering the mechanisms underlying it and its treatment began. Defining allergens as well as cells such as regulatory T-cells and characterizing the antibodies involved in the pathogenesis (including blocking antibodies) have helped very much towards a better understanding of the immunologic process.However, Allergen specific immunotherapy (SIT), as a specific curative treatment for allergy also dates back to the beginning of the previous century and has progressed considerably during these years. SIT similar to natural immunomodulation, directs the immune response towards tolerance. New strategies in this field, such as using recombinant allergens, T- and B-cell-epitope- containing peptides, and DNA vaccination have shown promising results. Sublingual immunotherapy, although not yet  FDA-approved, as an alternative  strategy in SIT  has demonstrated efficacy as well as safety. Furthermore, allergen extracts, their standardization and their modification have also been the focus of much research. Undoubtedly, specific immunotherapy is proven to be an efficacious  method  to  treat  allergy,  so  its  cost-effectiveness  should  be  estimated  in developing countries in order to include it in the countryʹs health priorities. Informing physicians about the new anti-vaccination movement is also crucial.