[Value of delayed skin test in elderly patients].
BACKGROUND
Retarded cutaneous hypersensitivity to several antigens has been studied in human of different ages and in people older than 60 years a diminishment in response to tests measuring retarded hypersensitivity has been observed.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the pattern of response to tests of retarded hypersensitivity in an apparently healthy sample of Cuban population resident at La Habana City, by application of a group of cutaneous tests with national antigens.


METHODS
Intradermal tests were applied to 87 subjects (69 women and 18 men) between 60 and 89 years old, without frequent infection antecedents. All subjects were submitted to clinical history and analysis in order to discard diseases that may alter the study proposal. Response grade was determined by summing media of induration diameters, which was denominated total media punctuation.


RESULTS
In all age groups total media punctuation was lightly higher in women, in both control and study groups, excepting age group of 80-89 years.


CONCLUSIONS
By virtue of there are few indicators of health for old people, the group of tests proposed in this article may be a good predictive indicator of morbidity and mortality in old patients.
Castillo Méndez
A
A
Servicio de Inmunoalergia, Hospital General Docente Salvador Allende, La Habana, Cuba.
Hernández Castillo
A
A
Gravalosa Cruz
A J
AJ
Lobeck
A L
AL
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000379:methods*