Allergy (Immunotherapy) Service at TCH
If you require any assistance or wish to book any other services please contact the booking team 01382 549 088 and select option 1.
What do we offer?
Led by an experienced ENT surgeon we offer oral immunotherapy treatment for grass and house dust mite allergy at Tayside Complete Health (TCH).
The questions below give more information about the process and answer common questions.
What are allergies?
Allergies occur when the body reacts to foreign proteins (allergens). In allergic rhinitis, nose symptoms (runny, itchy or blocked nose) or eye symptoms (itchy watery eyes) occur after contact with these allergens e.g. grass or tree pollen, house dust mite, dogs and cats. Allergies are very common and the majority of the time medical treatments from your General Practitioner (GP) or healthcare professional can manage symptoms well.
If you have confirmed allergies to grass or house dust mite and your symptoms are still effecting your quality of life then sublingual (medication that dissolves under the tongue) immunotherapy maybe an option for you. Immunotherapy is the only treatment that can change the underlying allergic disease. The alternative is to continue with medicines that dampen down the symptoms such as antihistamines and steroids.
The treatment we offer at TCH is sublingual immunotherapy treatment (SLIT).
What is Immunotherapy?
It is a medical treatment that is given daily in the form of a small tablet that dissolves under your tongue. The tablets will increase your tolerance to the pollen and reduce your symptoms over time. For continued effectiveness, treatment may be needed for three years or longer.
How successful is it?
The literature suggests the grass immunotherapy helps 90% of patients and reduces their symptoms by 40%. For house dust mite these figures are slightly less. It is likely that you will still need to take some of the topical treatments such as washes and sprays for the nose to help manage your symptoms.
It is important to know that it takes 8-12 weeks for the treatment to really impact your immune system and you notice significant changes in your symptoms.
How safe Is Immunotherapy?
Sublingual immunotherapy is safe for both adults and children, as confirmed by numerous studies during the past 10 years. The World Health Organization has endorsed SLIT as a treatment option.
Serious allergic reactions (such as anaphylaxis) are very rare with sublingual immunotherapy, and no fatalities have been reported to date. Mild to moderate allergic reactions are possible.
What happens at the clinic?
The pathway is summarised below, please note that it takes at least 2 clinic appointments.
At the first appointment the doctor will take a history from you and examine you with a nasoendoscope (a thin, flexible tube with a small video camera on the end) to help confirm the diagnosis and check that your symptoms are not due to any other condition. You will then need to have blood taken to confirm the allergy.
Following a positive allergy blood test, the team will be in touch regarding the next step. This involves picking up a prescription for 3 months’ supply of the immunotherapy tablets from a local pharmacy.
At the second appointment the doctor will go through the immunotherapy treatment again and ask you to sign a consent form.
You will take the first tablet in front of the doctor and be observed in the clinic for 30 minutes afterwards.
What happens next?
Following the successful first dose you will need to take the treatment daily for at least 3 years.
The doctor will initially see you at 3 months following the start of the treatment to assess the response and any issues. You will then be given a 6 month prescription. Following this most appointments can be done over the telephone, but you will need appointments every 6 months for 3 years.
What are the current costs?
Diagnostic Package 1: £185*
Allergy Consultation Only
Diagnostic Package 2: £694*/**
Allergy Consultation, ENT Nasoendoscopy (Scope) and Blood tests
Immunotherapy Treatment Package: £556*/**
If you have a positive blood test this covers the Second Appointment to start treatment and 3 monthly follow up appointment.
This does not cover the cost of the medication which is around £300 (indicative costs) for 3 months medication.
If you require any assistance or wish to book any other services please call 01382 549088 Option 1 or Contact us for more details
*Prices correct as of June 2024 - these are guide prices only and an exact cost will be provided at the time of booking.
**Finance options available please discuss with the team at the time of booking.