Allergic diseases and Allergy immunotherapy

When the body is exposed to physiological doses of allergens and exhibits abnormal physiological dysfunction or tissue damage, it is referred to as a hypersensitivity reaction. This can be mediated by immune or non-immune mechanisms, with IgE-mediated immune responses specifically termed allergic reactions.

Allergic reactions occur rapidly and can affect a single system or the entire body. Common symptoms include itching, redness, swelling, and nasal discharge, while severe cases may lead to anaphylactic shock. Common allergic diseases include allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis/eczema, urticaria, allergic conjunctivitis, and allergic gastroenteritis.。

According to the World Allergy Organization (WAO), over 2.4 billion people worldwide are affected by allergic diseases, and the global healthcare burden of these conditions is rising sharply.

Allergy Immunotherapy (AIT), originating in Europe, has a history of over 100 years. In 1911, Noon and Freeman successfully used pollen extract to treat hay fever in humans, marking the beginning of AIT. With the advent of evidence-based medicine, extensive research into the immunomodulatory mechanisms of AIT and substantial clinical data have increasingly supported the efficacy of two main immunotherapy methods: subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Compared to conventional symptomatic treatments, AIT can significantly and long-term alleviate symptoms and reduce medication use in patients with moderate to severe allergic diseases, while also improving their quality of life.

Global guidelines, including those from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), recommend incorporating AIT into the standard treatment protocols for airway allergic diseases. The WHO's Global Allergy Diseases Treatment Guidelines explicitly state that AIT is the most direct method of etiological treatment for allergic diseases. Both the Chinese guidelines for allergic rhinitis (AR) and the new guidelines for allergen immunotherapy (AIT) recommend early initiation of AIT for AR patients.