Desensitization (medicine)

Application to allergies

Main article: Allergen immunotherapy

A temporary desensitization method involves the administration of small doses of an allergen to produce an IgE-mediated response in a setting where an individual can be treated in the event of anaphylaxis; this approach, through uncharacterized mechanisms, eventually overrides the hypersensitive IgE response.

Desensitization approaches for food allergies are generally at the research stage. They include:

• oral immunotherapy, which involves building up tolerance by eating a small amount of (usually baked) food;
• sublingual immunotherapy, which involves placing a small drop of milk or egg white under the tongue;
• epicutaneous immunotherapy, which injects the allergic food under the skin;
• monoclonal anti-IgE antibodies, which non-specifically reduce the body's capacity to produce an allergic reaction;
• a Chinese herbal formulation, FAHF-2, another non-specific approach currently being studied in peanut allergy;
• use of probiotics;
• helminthic therapy;
• a drug to suppress toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9); and
• mepolizumab to treat eosinophilic esophagitis.

References

References

1. (2011). "Anaphylaxis and hypersensitivity reactions". Humana Press : Springer.
2. (March 2011). "Future therapies for food allergies". J. Allergy Clin. Immunol..