Optimization of Allergen Panels for Diagnosis of Allergic Rhinitis / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

The selection of allergen panel is very important to test for innumerable allergens throughout the Korea. However, the allergens studied are heterogeneous depending on the area the patient live and there is no methodological unification. Although, testing panel of allergens should be tailored according to the geographical areas, considering the relatively small Korean Peninsula, common inhalant allergens for test could be retrieved from the published data. Hence, this study is aimed to review the longitudinal variance of allergens in patients with allergic rhinitis live in several regional provinces of Korea, figure out the similarity and differences of sensitized allergens results derived from each study and finally make a guideline for physician in selecting the offending allergens to test. From the inception, studies which analyzing the offending allergens by either ImmunoCAP®, Multiple Allergen Simultaneous Test or Skin testing were reviewed and we found that the common sensitized allergens are house dust mites, pollen and mold plus 1–2 notable different allergens according to the specific regions. Especially, a total of 10±3 allergens adequately detected most of the sensitization of the major regions of Korea according to each age groups and special regional features. This study suggest that physicians should perform the screening of allergic rhinitis with minimally selected allergen in the light of age categories and special regional features. Standardization of allergens selection process would be predicted to have enormous benefits in establishing an insurance policy, giving sound scientific evidence and monitoring the antigenic variations of the Korean Peninsula.