Publisher's Synopsis
Allergy immunotherapy (AIT), also known as allergy shots or hyposensitizing immunotherapy, is the treatment that can change the natural course of these diseases by affecting the mechanism that triggers or aggravates them. An allergy is a reaction of the immune system (IS) to something that does not bother most other people. The word is an apocope of the Greek words allos (different) and ergon (reaction), and was coined in 1906 by the Austrian pediatrician Clemens Von Pirquet (1874-1929). Allergy sufferers are usually sensitive to more than one allergen present in the constituents of the environment; allergens that also have a certain molecular weight and a structure that identifies them. The substances - among others - that usually cause allergic reactions are: pollens, dust mites, mold spores, animal dander, insect bites, food and medicines. The environment in which the person lives is a determining factor for the type of sensitization and whether or not treatment with ATI is required.
