Desensitisation is the mainstay of allergy treatment.

A perfect complement to symptomatic drug treatment, it is the only preventive and curative method for treating allergic disease. Thus, desensitisation therapy makes it possible to avoid exacerbation of the allergy, as, for example, when allergic rhinitis is transformed over time into asthma (see symptoms), and to avoid its complications (appearance of sensitisation to other substances, or multiple sensitisation).

Its action consists of reducing the sensitivity of the individual to the allergen: by progressively modulating the immune response to this allergen, Desensitisation therapy prevents the occurrence of an allergic reaction.

Long based on experience, desensitisation therapy has been evaluated in many controlled scientific studies over the last few years with the objective of validating its efficacy and developing a precise framework for treatment.

 The recognition in 1998 by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the therapeutic interest of this treatment represents the high point in this process. This consensus, written by the most renowned international experts, issued the rules for "good practices" of specific immunotherapy in terms of the indications and treatment methods.