Specific
immunotherapy comprises a special form of
allergy treatment which consists of stepwise increasing doses of the
allergen, given subcutaneously or orally with the aim to reprogram the specific immunity (from
allergy to tolerance). This requires some experience and an exact allergological workup, since the main mistake in the treatment of this specific
immunotherapy is the selection of unsuitable patients. The effectivity of specific
immunotherapy is well documented for bee and
wasp venom allergy,
pollinosis and more and more also for
asthma bronchiale. A type of unspecific passive immunotherapy is the injection of
anti-IgE antibodies. However they block only soluble
IgE and are not able to remove mast cell bound
IgE. Thus, the allergic reactivity persists. Clinical studies have shown some efficacy in
asthma as well as in
pollinosis. However, at present it is unclear, whether this
drug, which has to be given every two to four weeks in relatively high concentrations, is effective in patients with polysensitization (i.e. patients suffering from mite, fungal and
pollen allergy) or is effective in patients which have manifestations of their
allergy in different organs.