Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Allergy shots reduce medication in cats with itchy skin disease
By Brément, Thomas et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2025·Veterinary Dermatology Referral Service EIRL Vet'Dermathome, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A retrospective, multicentric controlled study of the effect of specific allergen immunotherapy on medication needs in cats with atopic skin syndrome.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 158 cats with itchy skin due to atopic skin syndrome (FASS) underwent allergy testing to identify their triggers. After testing, 78 of these cats received allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) to help reduce their symptoms. Over a year, most of the cats that received ASIT showed a significant decrease in their need for medication, while a few did not respond to the treatment. This suggests that ASIT can be effective in managing allergies in cats, helping them feel more comfortable with less medication.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intradermal allergen testing (IDT) and allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) remain underrated in feline dermatology. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this retrospective study were to report the results of IDT and the effects of ASIT on the medication needs in a population of 158 cats diagnosed with feline atopic skin syndrome (FASS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: FASS was diagnosed after the exclusion of other pruritic conditions. IDT was performed under sedation/anaesthesia in 158 cats; in 136 of them, intravenous fluorescein and a Wood's lamp were used to facilitate interpretation. The medication scores were compared between cats with and without ASIT over a 1-year follow-up period. RESULTS: IDT was interpretable in 153 cats (97%) of which no specific sensitisation could be detected in 53 cases (35%). Among the remaining 100 (65%) cats, polysensitisation and monosensitisation were observed in 78 and 22 cases, respectively. Cats were sensitised to house dust mites (HDM; 74%) including Dermatophagoides farinae (67%) and D. pteronyssinus (27%); storage mites (SM; 44%) including Tyrophagus putrescentiae (27%), Acarus siro (32%) and Lepidoglyphus destructor (8%); moulds (7%); grasses (18%); weeds (19%); tree pollens (19%); and fleas (17%). ASIT was initiated in 78 of 100 cats, and a 1-year follow-up period was available for 42. ASIT had no effect in 11 cats (26%). In the remaining 31 cats (74%), ASIT was associated with a significant reduction (≥ 30%) in medication scores. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: ASIT is associated with a sparing effect in a significantly greater number of treated cats than untreated ones.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40069911/