title: A Comparative Study of Skin Prick Test versus Serum-Specific IgE Measurement in Indian Patients with Bronchial Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin prick testing (SPT) is the 'gold standard' in the assessment of allergic sensitivity to inhalant allergens. Serum-specific immunoglobulin E (SSIgE) measurement is a complementary test. SPT is performed with antigen extracts from India while SSIgE utilises extracts derived from European antigens.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the performance of allergic assessment by SSIgE against cockroach, housefly and mosquito aeroallergens which are frequently implicated in driving respiratory allergies in India considering SPT as the 'gold standard'.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients (mean age 28.5 years; range 15-50 years) diagnosed to have bronchial asthma and/or rhinitis underwent SPT. The SSIgE levels were obtained at the same visit. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of SSIgE testing were calculated using SPT as the 'gold standard'. The correlation between SPT grading and SSIgE levels was also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity of SSIgE testing to each of the 3 aero-allergens was > 85%. The PPV of cockroach and mosquito SSIgE was > 85%; housefly SSIgE had PPV of 68.7%. The two tests were in agreement in 85% (cockroach), 90% (mosquito) and 55% (housefly). There was a significant correlation between the grades of SPT reactions and SSIgE levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SSIgE has higher sensitivity and PPV, but lacks specificity. Higher sensitivity with low specificity leads to increased false positive diagnosis of allergic disease. Unlike allergenic pollens, however, insect antigen extracts from different regions seem to give comparable results, and can thus, reliably be used in the evaluation of allergy.
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Nitesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Jayesh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kanuga
authors.forename: Mansi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanuga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000276:immunology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D009033:Culicidae / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006793:Houseflies / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007073:Immunoglobulin E