The benefits and risks of treating asthma with allergy shots

Allergy shots have always been a controversial treatment for asthma. That’s why a new review from Cochrane Library studied the effects of the allergy treatment.

Each allergy shot contains a tiny amount of the specific substance that triggers a person's allergic reactions. It is meant to desensitize a person to the allergen that causes reactions.

The review included 88 studies with an estimated 3,800 participants.

Researchers found that the shots can significantly reduce asthma symptoms and the amount of medication needed in some people. It also helped reduce sensitivity in the lungs.

One study in the review found that allergy shots had the same amount of benefit as an inhaler.

But there was also an increased risk of side effects, from a stuffy nose to fatal reactions like anaphylactic shock.

Asthma attacks can be caused by allergies, pollens, cigarette smoke or air pollution, and the attacks can be fatal.