“Many suffer unnecessarily”: allergy professor says how to get rid of hay fever in the long term

Many allergy sufferers who suffer from hay fever will certainly have noticed it. The pollen season has just started again. That means millions of people are now starting to itch and sneeze again.

Allergy expert Torsten Zuberbier from the Charité Berlin explains how those affected can be freed from their suffering in the long term. “The best way to do this is with hyposensitization, which is still used far too rarely, although it is also paid for by the statutory health insurance funds,” he says in the “Welt” interview. The treatments usually last at least three years.

According to Zuberbier, those affected could be permanently relieved of their symptoms. He explains the principle with a comparison: “In the case of an allergy, our immune system, the ‘body police’, has the wrong profile, so to speak. For example, instead of a true criminal, it has your likeness on it, even though you are completely harmless and only look alike.”

Get rid of hay fever with hyposensitization in the long term

He goes on to explain: “Through the desensitization, we signal to the body police: This is only Mr. Aé, please do not beat him up and take him away. In the meantime, the procedure can also often be carried out with tablets or drops, so that only a few visits to the doctor are necessary.

According to Zuberbier, untreated hay fever can, in the worst case, develop into allergic asthma. According to him, it is not worth taking this risk and suffering discomfort, although there are good and safe treatment options. The doctor says: “Many people suffer completely unnecessarily.”