Skin prick test , diagnosis

In the diagnosis of cow s milk allergy, skin prick tests (PST) and APT yielded nearly similar mean sensitivity (0.53 and 0.51, respectively) and specificity figures (0.81 and 0.86, respectively) (Turnjamaa et al., 2006). 

B. Proust, D. A. Moneret-Vautrin, A. W. Burks, B. Bihain, H. A. Sampson, and G. Kanny. 2006. Predictive value of skin prick tests using recombinant allergens for diagnosis of peanut allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 118 (l) 250-256. 

Nittner-Marszalska, M., Wojcicka-Kustrzeba, I., Bogacka, E., Patkowski, J., and Dobek, R. 2001. Skin prick test response to enzyme enolase of the baker s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in diagnosis of respiratory allergy. Med Sci. Monit 7(1) 121-124. 

Pepys J, Pepys EO, Baldo BA, Whitwam JG. Anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions to anaesthetic and associated agents. Skin prick tests in aetiological diagnosis. Anaesthesia 1994 49(6) 470-5. 

In clinical diagnosis of sensitivity to allergens in food, the two methods used most frequently are the skin prick test (SPT) and the radioallergosorbent test (RAST). These tests have been used reliably for the diagnosis of allergy to peas, codfish, peanuts, egg white, wheat and wheat flour but were only partly reliable in detecting allergy to cow s milk, sardines, and white bea ns ( ). 

Turjanmaa K, Alenius H, Makinen-Kiljunen S, Palosuo T, Reunala T (1995a) Commercial skin prick test preparations in the diagnosis of rubber latex allergy (abstract). J Allergy Clin Immunol 93 299... 

For skin test diagnosis, gelatin solutions are used undiluted (for Gelofusine, Haemaccel, and gelatin solutions 35 mg/ml) in the skin prick test and at dilutions of from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10 for intradermal tests. 

Patients were enrolled with the diagnosis of asthma of > 1 year duration, who, in addition to the standards of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) (15), demonstrated a >12% increase in FEVi following inhaled bronchodilator, skin prick test positivity (house dust mite [D. farinae, D. pteronyssinus], cockroach, dog, or cat) and remained symptomatic despite inhaled corticosteroids and frequent use of short-acting bronchodilators. Five hundred and twenty-five subjects were enrolled, 79% of whom had moderate disease severity and 21% of whom were judged to be severe (Table 1). 

Skin testing, both prick and intracutaneous, with appropriate concentrations of drugs together with chaUoige tests are the basis of the diagnosis of immediate systemic reactions to CSs. 

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