Allergic skin test / 소아과

Allergy skin prick test and intradermal test represent one of the major tools in the diagnosis of IgE- mediated diseases like as atopic asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food and drug allergy, and insect bite when properly performed. Skin tests are of particular importance in fields such as allergen standardization, pharmacology, and epidemiology. Even if skin tests seem easy to perform, adequate and proper interpretation requires well-trained physicians who can recognize the numerous factors that may modify the results of skin tests.

Result of Allergic Skin Test, MAST and Nasal Provocation Test in Children with Atopic Dermatitis / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Allergic diseases are considered to be systemic diseases. Atopic diseases are the first manifestation among allergic diseases, with the suggested relation to allergic rhinitis and asthma, as reported in several studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the responses to allergic tests in children who have atopic dermatitis or have allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. Materials & Methods : Eighty subjects without atopic dermatitis (control group) and 80 patients with atopic dermatitis (atopy group) were subjected to study from Nov. 1997 to Nov. 1999. The atopic group included pediatric patients who were diagnosed as having atopic dermatitis, but excluded patients who received medical treatment of steroid or antihistamine before the test for 1 month. In all the control and atopic groups, the nasal cavity volume was first estimated by acoustic rhinometry, followed by the allergic skin test (AST) and MAST. A nasal provocation test was taken with a positive allergen for patients who showed positive response to AST and MAST; for patients who showed negative response to AST and MAST, the test was taken with the House dust mites. RESULTS: In the atopic dermatitis group, the rate of positive responses to AST and MAST were 65% and 72.5%, respectively; in the control group, the rates were 25% and 35%, respectively. The most common positive allergen was the House dust mite in AST and MAST. In the nasal provocation test, the more positive rate was observed in the atopic group. CONCLUSION: The atopic group showed more positive response than the control group to AST, MAST and the nasal provocation test. Also, the nasal mucosa of 37.5% of the atopic dermatitis patients were sensitized to a certain allergen.