Hay fever, clinically known as seasonal allergenic rhinitis, is normally treated with meds. But they all have potential side effects and their optimal effectiveness can be lacking for many people. A new device from a company just coming out of stealth mode hopes to change that completely.
The Allergia device from Allergia Medical delivers bright light into the nostril with the hope of stopping the sneezing, congestion, and runny nose that plaques allergy sufferers. So far the device has been tested in a pilot study with 14 patients at the Asthma and Allergy Center of Chicago. The device was used for only six seconds per nostril per day, resulting in a 31% improvement in patients’ Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) versus the baseline, while no side effects were observed. Moreover, “results superior to antihistamines” were recorded.
The image shows the prototype used in the study, but the company tells Medgadget that the final device will be improved further. Here are the mechanisms that Allergia Medical believes underlie their photodynamic therapy device:
- Reactive oxygen species in blood are suppressed after illumination possibly as a result of activation of superoxide dismutase or of catalase
- Visible and IR light cause changes in Ca2+ transport
- Allergic symptoms are largely dependent on oxygen radical formation and Ca2+ mobility
- Suppresses the effector phase
- Results in inhibition of histamine release and activity of neutrophils, eosinophils and mast cells