title: CD-sens can be a reliable and easy-to-use complement in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A reproducible standard for a graded allergen response in allergic rhinitis is lacking. The aim was to evaluate basophil allergen threshold sensitivity, CD-sens, as a diagnostic complement to nasal allergen challenge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six patients with a history of allergic rhinitis due to grass pollen were intranasally challenged and nasal symptom score and peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) changes were determined after 15 min. A 20% decrease in PNIF or a symptom score ≥2 were considered a positive test. A blood sample for CD-sens was drawn before each challenge. Eighteen patients were tested twice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CD-sens agreed with the positive or negative nasal symptom score in 22/26 and PNIF in 24/26 patients. After the second challenge, 14/18 patients had the same symptom, 17/18 the same PNIF, while all had identical CD-sens classification.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CD-sens appears to be a reproducible test for diagnosis of allergic rhinitis with great advantages also for follow-up of disease development and treatment effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Allergy Unit, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. anna.nopp@ki.se
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nopp
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Cardell
authors.forename: S G O
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D001491:Basophils / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009299:Nasal Provocation Tests / Q000379:methods; D031784:Phleum / Q000276:immunology*; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D060149:Tetraspanin 30 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D060149:Tetraspanin 30; D007073:Immunoglobulin E