(Dec. 16, 2014) SAN ANTONIO – United Allergy Services (UAS) ®, a leading healthcare services company assisting family physicians and health systems to deliver safe and effective allergy testing and customized immunotherapy services, today announced the publication of an original article that analyzes the safety of implementing a self-administration protocol of allergen immunotherapy characterized by patient pre-selection and a slow buildup process. The peer-reviewed article written by Frederick M. Schaffer, M.D., a board certified allergist and lead investigator of the study, Andrew Naples and Larry Garner has been published online in the International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology.

The article, “The safety of self-administered allergen immunotherapy during the buildup and maintenance phases” concludes that the risk of systemic, or adverse, reaction is lower with UAS treatment protocol than traditional dosage and fast buildup, or RUSH, methods that involve immunotherapy shots administered at a physician’s office. The UAS protocol in the study was administered by primary care physicians and is characterized by self-administration at home. Investigators conclude that the results are driven by UAS patient pre-selection to exclude those with a high risk of adverse reactions and slower, more incremental, immunotherapy buildup phase as a self-administered treatment for patients suffering from seasonal and perennial allergies.

The article states, “The enhanced safety of this protocol results in a decreased frequency and severity of adverse reactions. This safety report corroborates and expands the observations of previous studies of self-administered, subcutaneous immunotherapy in a low-risk patient population by assessing self-administered allergen immunotherapy during the buildup and maintenance phases.”

Until recently, the only real relief for allergies and allergic asthma remained primarily in the hands of allergists who administer immunotherapy shots. This already small community of approximately 5,000 U.S. specialists is expected to decline 6.8 percent by 2020, while demand for allergy-related services is projected to grow 35 percent in the same timeframe. This forecast only scratches the surface of the true demand for allergy and asthma care, as only a portion of the approximately 60 million Americans suffering from allergic rhinitis are aware of their condition and seek specialty care.

About United Allergy Services
United Allergy Services ® (UAS) brings effective and convenient allergy testing and immunotherapy to primary care physicians, pulmonologists, ENT physicians, pediatricians, internal medicine physicians, and healthcare systems that treat the vast majority of patients with seasonal and perennial allergies. UAS’ complete service line features in-office UAS Certified Clinical Allergy Technician staffing and training; quality assurance and compliance; and supply and inventory management. By collaborating with physicians to safely administer allergy testing and shots, UAS has assisted the expansion of access to effective allergy care for thousands of patients that suffer from seasonal and perennial allergies.

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Allergist report.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://college.acaai.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/AllergistReport.pdf