Under-the-Tongue Immunotherapy Curbs Cat Allergy

SCIENCE NEWS (Scientific American) July 27, 2007

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who are allergic to cats may not have to get rid of their pets to find relief, if the findings of a new study hold up.

Tolerance to cats can be built up in allergic kids by placing increasing doses of standardized cat dander extract under the tongue, according to Spanish researchers.

In the medical journal Allergy, Dr. Emilio Alvarez-Cuesta of Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, and colleagues note that a first-line step for people with cat allergy is to remove cats from the home. However, this is often rejected or is not entirely effective, leaving immunotherapy as the only treatment.

Immunotherapy is based on the idea that the immune system can "learn" to tolerate allergy triggers if it is exposed to gradually increasing amounts of the offending allergen, starting with tiny amounts that don't cause an allergic reaction.

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