A study being presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) found pregnant women that received allergy shots, otherwise known as immunotherapy, during their pregnancy might actually decrease the chance of their baby developing allergies.

“Our research found trends suggesting women receiving allergy shots either before or during pregnancy reduced their child’s chances of having asthma, food allergies, or eczema,” said allergist Jay Lieberman, MD, ACAAI member. “Prior studies have suggested that mothers can pass protective factors to their fetus that may decrease their child’s chance of developing allergic disease, and these protective factors are increased with allergy immunotherapy.”

Fifty million Americans suffer from allergies for which there is no cure. However, immunotherapy is known to have a fairly high success rate at modifying and preventing disease progression.

According to ACAAI, allergies tend to be hereditary. If both parents have allergies, their children have a 75 percent chance of also having allergies. If only one parent is allergic, or if a different relative has allergies, the child has a 30 to 40 percent chance of having an allergy. If neither parent has any allergies, the chance of their child developing an allergy is only 10 to 15 percent.

“More research is needed to understand if mothers can truly prevent allergies in their children by receiving allergy shots during or before pregnancy,” said Dr. Lieberman. “However, these study results show there is a strong association which is very encouraging as allergists explore this possibility.”

If a specific allergy can be identified but cannot be avoided or medications are not sufficient enough for controlling flare ups, allergists prescribe immunotherapy to control and many times eliminate symptoms all together. Immunity does not occur immediately, however, but some patients do begin to feel better fairly quickly. Most patients receive a monthly injection for a period of 3 to 5 years once they reach their maintenance dose.

“Allergy shots are not only effective but cost efficient,” said allergist Warner Carr, MD, chair of the ACAAI Immunotherapy and Diagnostics Committee. “Immunotherapy can result in health care savings of 33 to 41 percent.”