ABSTRACT
Among many diagnostic tests for allergic rhinitis, the intradermal (ID) test is practical and reliable. However, there are several factors affecting compliance, practicability and interpretation, and also problems on hypersensitivity of the ID. For these reasons, we evaluated other tests which have been thought to have high reliability as diagnostic and/or screening assays, namely, skin prick test and specific IgE detection in seventy-four perennial rhinitis patients (51 males and 23 females whose ages were between 15-60 years). In this study, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae extracts, known to be the most common aeroallergens in Thailand, were used as the allergens/antigens. Compared to the standard ID test, sensitivities to D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae of the studied patients tested by skin prick test were 90.4% and 86.4%, and specificities were 99.5% and 93.1%, respectively. Sensitivities to D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae using specific IgE assay were 96.3% and 88.9%, and specificities were 96.2% and 88.9%, respectively. It was concluded that the skin prick test can be used as a screening method for patients with allergic rhinitis, while the specific IgE detection can be used as an alternative for diagnosis of patients who are susceptible to the ID test or for those who are severely susceptible to allergic rhinitis such that medication can not be withdrawn for the ID test.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Allergens/immunology , Animals , Antigens, Dermatophagoides , Glycoproteins/immunology , Humans , Immunoglobulin E/blood , Intradermal Tests , Male , Middle Aged , Mites/immunology , Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial/diagnosis , Skin Tests/methodsABSTRACT
As distinct from many countries, allergy in Thailand is of the perennial type which may play a role in the formation of nasal polyps. Forty consecutive patients with nasal polyps and 30 normal subjects as control were studied at the Allergy Clinic, Department of Otolaryngology, Pramongkutklao Hospital. A positive clinical history and skin allergy testing are diagnostic criteria for allergy. In the nasal polyps group, these were 28 males and 12 females, aged between 12-65 years, with an average age of 38.5 years. In the control group, there were 18 males and 12 females, aged between 15-53 yeas, with an average age of 34 years. All had received prick skin testing with 6 common aeroallergens. The prick skin test was considered positive when the wheal was > or = 3 mm with surrounding erythema. Twenty-four of 40 patients (60%) with nasal polyps had a positive prick skin test, while 6 in the 30 control cases (20%) had a positive prick skin test. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0019), Odd's ratio = 6.0 which means allergic persons were 6 times more prone to have polyps form than normal persons.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Allergens/adverse effects , Animals , Antigens, Dermatophagoides , Child , Cockroaches/immunology , Dust/adverse effects , Female , Glycoproteins/adverse effects , Humans , Hypersensitivity/complications , Male , Middle Aged , Nasal Polyps/epidemiology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Skin Tests , Thailand/epidemiologyABSTRACT
A battalion of Royal Thai Marine militia was assigned to take either 50 mg or 100 mg of doxycycline daily or pyrimethamine/dapsone weekly for malaria prophylaxis on the Thai-Kampuchean border for a 17 week period. Attack rates for the groups expressed as cases/100 men were 34 for 50 mg doxycycline, 18 for 100 mg doxycycline, and 52 for pyrimethamine/dapsone. The relative efficacy of the two doxycycline regimens compared to Maloprim were 1.6 and 1.4. Compliance with the daily drug nearly equalled that of the weekly regimen. This suggests that 100 mg of doxycycline daily can be effectively used for malaria prophylaxis by soldiers under operational conditions on the Thai-Kampuchean border.