By Karla Harby
NEW YORK, Aug 21 (Reuters Health) - Allergy shots for year-round hay fever
or hay fever with asthma do save money over time, even though such injections
are costly and must be given for several years, according to a researcher from
the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta.
The reason is that without the shots, hay fever and asthma sufferers take
medications to relieve their symptoms, and some of these drugs are quite
expensive, explained Dr. Timothy J. Sullivan. "We're looking at decades of
disease, mountains of medications," he said.
For example, people with moderately severe, perennial hay fever--that is,
allergic rhinitis caused by substances that are in the air year-round, such as
animal dander, dust mites or molds--will spend approximately $1,200 a year for
medications, for a total cost of $7,200 after six years. A series of allergy
shots (also called allergy vaccination or specific immunotherapy) will cost
$1,480 to $1,960 after six years.
Assuming that immunotherapy reduces the medication expense over the years,
but never completely eliminates it, the cost savings after six years will be
$2,940 to $3,350, Sullivan said. Using similar assumptions, he found that those
who have perennial allergic rhinitis plus asthma, who normally spend even more
on medications, will save $6,750 to $7,620 after six years.
By contrast, those who suffer from hay fever symptoms only in the summer
will spend $220 or $730 more in a six-year period if they opt for allergy shots
instead of anti-histamines and other medications, according to Sullivan's
analysis.
In some patients, immunotherapy eliminates the need for medications
entirely, in which case the cost savings would be greater, Sullivan added. He
also did not take into account the costs of quality of life considerations, such
as time lost from work or school because of allergic reactions and their
associated costs.
Sullivan reported his findings here at a consensus conference sponsored by
the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and St. Luke's-Roosevelt
Hospital Center.
