Another comprehensive study confirmed the effectiveness of immunotherapy in the management of insect venom hypersensitivity. Allergy shots are the only treatment for protecting patients against life threatening sting-induced anaphylaxis. New findings also show immunotherapy is effective in the treatment of asthma. We found that allergen immunotherapy significantly reduced asthma symptoms and medication requirements. Although there was a trend for lung function to improve in treated patients, this did not achieve statistical significance.
Publication bias remains a problem, as negative studies are less likely to be published.
Retrospective studies on rhinitis and sinusitis were conducted with the questionnaires in three private practices in Colorado Springs, Colo., Bridgeport, Conn., and Fresno, Calif., with the same results. Sinusitis patients found immunotherapy to be 98 percent effective. Our data revealed that 81 percent of the rhinitis patients believed immunotherapy worked, with 19 percent unsure. The questionnaire and the data obtained were assessed for validity, reliability and responsiveness using modern statistic methods. Allergy vaccinations have been available in the form of immunotherapy for allergy sufferers since 1911.