ABSTRACT
Sublingual immunotherapy has been used for more than 100 years. Recently, the World Health Organization recognized the efficacy and safety of this alternative allergen immunotherapy administration route. This chapter presents the mechanisms of action, efficacy, and safety of this treatment modality. A change in the natural history of allergic diseases and a reduction of new sensitizations has also been demonstrated. Mucosal immunization, especially through the oral/sublingual mucosa, has attracted much interest as a means for eliciting protective immunity for infection and as a possible approach for immunologic treatment of various diseases caused by an immune response associated with tissue-damaging inflammation. There is an increased interest in the use of sublingual immunotherapy due to its efficacy and safety and its increasing growth in Europe and other parts of the world, including the United States. In this chapter we discuss the differences in the allergen extracts currently available for sublingual use, and their regulations, doses, and administration schemes. Also included is a brief summary of the new oral tablets available for sublingual allergen immunotherapy.
