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Article: Children with asthma - one common treatment is useless. (allergy shots)
- Article from:
- HealthFacts
- Article date:
- February 1, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Center for Medical Consumers, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Allergy shots are a popular treatment for asthmatic children, but a cloud of doubt hovers over their usefulness. The shots (immunotherapy) are given in addition to the standard drugs to prevent asthma attacks, or at least lessen their severity. But a new study conducted at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found that immunotherapy provides no discernible benefit (New England Journal of Medicine, 30 January 1997).
The idea behind the treatment is desensitization. The child suffering from seasonal allergies is given a series ofinjections involving extracts of multiple substances to which he or she has been found to be allergic. Theoretically, this will reduce ...