Sensitization to food or inhalant allergens in pediatric patients. Clinical usefulness of first-level panel tests for specific IgE

• Published in: Journal of investigational allergology & clinical immunology Vol. 13; no. 4; p. 286
• Main Authors: Altrinetti, V, Salmaso, C, Montagna, P, Castellano, E, Cosentino, C, Pesce, G, Bagnasco, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Spain 2003
• Subjects: Administration, Inhalation; Adolescent; Allergens - isolation & purification; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Food Hypersensitivity - immunology; Humans; Immunization; Immunoglobulin E - blood; Male; Serologic Tests - methods; Skin Tests
• ISSN: 1018-9068

First-level in vitro diagnostic tests for specific IgE against common inhalant or food allergens have been used to identify allergic patients. We evaluated the performance of Phadiatop and Fx5 (mixed food allergens) serological tests (Pharmacia Diagnostics AB, Uppsala, Sweden) in different groups of pediatric patients. We studied two groups of pediatric patients: 61 children recruited from an Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit (Group 1); 136 children from a Pediatric Unit not specifically devoted to allergic diseases (Group 2); the two groups comprised patients with (A) or without (B) clinical suspicion of allergic disease. Sera were collected from routine blood analysis. Frequencies of positivities for Phadiatop and/or Fx5 were very high (68.8%) in Group 1, however, as many as 35.5% of Group 2 children were positive, as well. All the patients of Group 1 with clinical suspicion of allergic disease (1A), confirmed by allergologic diagnostic tests, had a positive first-level test; 42.8% only of the patients in Group 2 with suspicion of allergic disease (2A) had a positive first-level test. None of the Phadiatop/Fx5-negative children of Group 2A had specific-IgE with conventional tests. In 30% of children not suspected for allergic diseases (1B and 2B), positive first-level tests were observed. Such unexpected positivities were confirmed by single specific-IgE assays in 94.7% (for inhalants) or 71% (for foods) of cases. In conclusion, altogether the sensitivity and overall performance of first-level tests in pediatric populations (especially for inhalant allergens) may suggest their use, under appropriate circumstances, both as a first diagnostic approach (to rule out negative patients) and for screening purposes.