Less dust. Scientists have created a birch allergy vaccin
According to experts, the peak of flowering of birch this year will be April 24-26. “Hour X” awaits with horror millions of allergy sufferers.
00:05 04/24/2019 Lydia Yudina 1526
Less dust. Scientists have created a birch allergy vaccine
According to experts, the peak of flowering of birch this year will be April 24-26. “Hour X” awaits with horror millions of allergy sufferers.
According to statistics, allergy to birch pollen accounts for about 30% of all allergic reactions. There is a hope that the number of allergy sufferers will thin out soon. Scientists have created a birch allergy vaccine that blocks the development of an undesirable reaction.
White birch under my window
Birch is one of the symbols of Russia. Birch groves in our country occupy the third place in the area after coniferous and mixed forests.
But birch and one of the main trees, allergens. Birch pollen is extremely small, therefore it spreads over long distances and penetrates deeply into the respiratory tract. In birch pollen there are almost 40 protein compounds, six of which cause intolerance.
An allergic reaction occurs immediately after contact with an irritant. Experts distinguish between light and severe allergies to birch. The lungs include profuse tearing, redness of the eyes and puffiness around them, nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, itching skin.
Severe manifestations - fever, urticaria, bronchial asthma, angioedema. In this case, delayed therapy (or lack thereof) can lead to undesirable consequences up to anaphylactic shock. Fortunately, this is extremely rare.
Allergy sufferers who find themselves in the epicenter of birch dusting are usually advised by doctors to avoid contact with the allergen (ideally, leave for a flowering period to a safe place). If this is not possible, it is necessary to observe safety precautions (put mosquito nets on the windows, walk in the evening and rainy weather, do wet cleaning every day) and take symptomatic medications.
Allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT - treatment with small doses of allergens) is still considered the only effective method of treatment. Unlike pharmacotherapy, allergy vaccines neutralize the cause of the disease and prevent the development of severe forms of the disease. However, ASIT has drawbacks: it is a long and complicated method of treatment, which requires patient composure, endurance and patience.
And we need to prick
Now there is a hope that in the near future there will be a drug that will quickly relieve a person from allergies to birch pollen.
Scientists have created an artificial analogue of the main protein-allergen of birch. Studies have shown that the drug, created on its basis, causes the formation of specific antibodies that block the development of an allergic reaction.
“Of course, this is a scientific breakthrough, since previously, recombinant vaccines were used only to protect against viral diseases,” said Professor Mikhail Kostinov, head of the laboratory for vaccinal prevention and immunotherapy for allergic diseases, at the Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums. Mechnikov. - Now the vaccine is undergoing preclinical testing on animals. The results are encouraging, but until the end of the tests it is impossible to say for sure whether such a vaccine can change the nature of the immune response and the allergic status of a person, as does allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT). However, the creators of the new vaccine promise to get rid of allergies by reducing the duration and number of courses of therapy. ”
Allergy sufferers can sleep well
While the vaccine has not been created, patients can be comforted by the fact that allergies are considered to be “safekeeping” against cancer.
“What defense mechanisms underlie this phenomenon is not completely clear,” Mikhail Kostinov continues. But it is known that in allergic diseases the response of the second type of immune cells (Th2-cells), which support humoral immunity, predominates, contributing to the synthesis of anti-inflammatory cytokines and increased antibody formation. ”
The study of the role of IgE (proteins that are produced when infectious disease pathogens enter the body) during the malignant process showed that they are able to bind to a fragment of their receptor on the membranes of tumor cells, contributing to their destruction.
When studying the pathogenesis of Hodgkin's lymphoma, it turned out that an increase in Th2 cytokine levels leads to tumor infiltration with eosinophils, lymphocytes and fibroblasts, which are capable of destroying tumor cells. With different types of allergies include different immune mechanisms. Allergies of the fourth type are supposed to “connect” T-cells, which can suppress the development of a malignant tumor.
An analysis of cancer mortality, conducted in the United States and Canada, showed that patients with allergies died from malignant tumors less often by 10%. The presence of bronchial asthma in women reduces the risk of developing cervical cancer by 44%, and ovarian cancer by 40%. According to European studies, allergy reduces the risk of developing cancer of the skin and mammary glands, and children with allergies are less likely to catch leukemia, malignant tumors of the skin and lungs.
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