title: Skin prick testing to aeroallergen extracts: what is the optimal panel in children and adolescents in Turkey?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The skin prick test (SPT) is the standard tool for the diagnosis of IgE-mediated allergic diseases. The number and spectrum of allergen extracts to be applied for the diagnosis of sensitized patients in order to achieve the most cost-effective and informative results are critical from both economic and scientific viewpoints.
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to determine the minimum test battery panel necessary to cover at least 95% of the cases of SPT sensitization in children and adolescents (2-18 years) with suspected respiratory allergies, we retrospectively analyzed the SPT results of the largest referral center of the country.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a 2.5-year period, a total of 2,457 children (male/female ratio 1.51) with a median (range) age of 6.8 years (2.0-18.0) were subjected to SPT. Eight hundred and sixty-two (35.1%) children were found to be sensitized to at least one of the 30 aeroallergen extracts tested. The most common sensitizations were to grasses (Festuca pratensis, Phleum pratense, Dactylis glomerata, and Lolium perenne), house dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae), cat, weeds (Chenopodium, Plantago, and Artemisia), and moulds (Alternaria and Cladosporium). The sensitization rates increased in conjunction with an increase in age. Testing with 12, 8, and 7 allergens was sufficient to identify over 95% of the sensitized preschool children, school children, and adolescents, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An SPT panel covering 12 allergen extracts was sufficient to detect most of the sensitized children and adolescents with recurrent respiratory symptoms. As the patients grow older, a smaller test panel is required compared to the panels used at younger ages.
authors: Department of Pediatric Allergy and Asthma, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Umit Murat
authors: UM
authors: Şahiner
authors: Ersoy
authors: E
authors: Civelek
authors: Süleyman Tolga
authors: ST
authors: Yavuz
authors: Ayşe Betül
authors: AB
authors: Büyüktiryaki
authors: Ayfer
authors: A
authors: Tuncer
authors: Bülent Enis
authors: BE
authors: Şekerel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000393:Air Pollutants; D000485:Allergens; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007114:Immunization; D008297:Male; D006109:Poaceae / Q000276:immunology; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000485:Allergens