What is Cluster Immunotherapy for Allergies?

When beginning your injections, adults & adolescents now have the option of cluster vs. conventional immunotherapy.  Conventional immunotherapy has been practiced for decades, and at our practice involves walk-in visits 1-3 times a week with a 30 minute observation period. This leads to symptom relief within 3-6 months. Cluster therapy is an accelerated buildup that compresses months of conventional therapy into four to six (4-6) 2-hour sessions where 3-4 injections are given at 30-minute intervals plus an observation period.  This delivers faster improvement and saves travel time.  Cluster appointments MUST be scheduled in advance due to the extra monitoring required, and may be performed 1-2 times a week.  After up to 6 sessions, patients continue with walk-in visits 1-3 times a week until they reach maintenance.

In both cases, staying consistent with treatment is important for best results. It is important to know that in both cases, the maintenance phase of treatment remains the same, with injections gradually spacing to bi-weekly and then monthly, lasting 3-5 years total to achieve long-term immunity.

Cluster therapy is not advised for children below the age of 12 years, those with uncontrolled asthma, or certain other medical conditions. Ultimately, your provider at East Texas Allergy & Asthma can best work with you to determine the appropriate course of therapy. The table below summarizes the two methods.

	Conventional	Cluster
Appointments	No appointment needed 30 minutes per visit	Up to 6 scheduled appointments 2 hours per visit 1-2 times per week
Frequency	1-3 times per week until maintenance	1-2 times per week until clusters complete, then 1-3 times per week until maintenance
Premedication	Recommended before visit	Required before visit
Schedule change	May not change to cluster after starting conventional buildup	May switch to conventional buildup after any appointment.
Time to Maintenance	3-6 months depending on visit frequency	6-12 weeks depending on visit frequency
Billed Cost	Usually lower per visit. The exact cost to patients depends on insurance coverage.	Possibly, but not always higher per visit. Significant savings from less time for travel from work/school.