What are allergy injections?
After skin testing has been done, your physician will write specific orders regarding what should be included in your allergy injections. Allergy injections are used to reduce your sensitivity to specific allergens by producing certain immunological changes. By injecting increasing amounts of allergens to which you are sensitive, the degree of sensitivity is progressively decreased to those specific allergens. This occurs because one of the protective antibodies, IgG, is increased during allergy injections. This serves to protect the individual by blocking the IgE response which causes the release of the mediators leading to the allergic symptoms. In order to insure that these changes take place and maintain protection, it is important to receive allergy injections on a regular basis. The interval is directed by the physician. Treatment with allergy injections takes place over a four to six year period of time to maximize the effectiveness of the therapy.
