TY - JOUR
T1 - Diagnostic tests in ragweed hay fever. A comparison of direct skin tests, IgE antibody measurements, and basophil histamine release
AU - Norman, P. S.
AU - Lichtenstein, L. M.
AU - Ishizaka, K.
N1 - Funding Information:
From The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine at The Good Samaritan Hospital. Supported by Grantg Nos. AI 04866, AJ 07290, and AI 08270 from the National Institutes of Health and a Research grant from John A. Hartford Foundation. (Publication No. 67 of the O’Neill Research Laboratories.) Received for publication Feb. 13, 1973. Reprint requests to: Dr. P. 5. Norman, The Good Samaritan Hospitarl, 5601 Loch Raven Blvd., Baltimore, Md. 21239. *Recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
PY - 1973/10
Y1 - 1973/10
N2 - In 87 patients with both spring and fall hay fever symptoms the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) technique for specific IgE antibodies to ragweed was compared with basophil histamine release and direct intradermal skin testing by the threshold dilution technique. The three techniques gave good agreement except with the leastsensitive patients, some of whom had a positive skin test but undetectable histamine release or IgE antibodies. Twenty-one patients who were highly sensitive to ragweed as measured by all three techniques were followed without specific immunotherapy. There was significant agreement between the level of positivity of all three tests and the symptom index obtained during the ragweed season. In 14 of the 21 patients there was a significant correlation between daily ragweed pollen counts and daily symptom indexes during the season. On the other hand, among the 16 least-sensitive patients (as judged by histamine release) the correlation between daily ragweed pollen counts and symptom indexes was significant in only 3 patients. Other significant allergens could not be identified in the latter group, and the cause of their symptoms is not clearly identified but appears not to be ragweed. The RAST is a quantitative technique that gives diagnostically useful information in ragweed hay fever, although not significantly different from basophil histamine release or carefully performed skin testing. The convenience to the patient may, however, offer a noticeable advantage.
AB - In 87 patients with both spring and fall hay fever symptoms the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) technique for specific IgE antibodies to ragweed was compared with basophil histamine release and direct intradermal skin testing by the threshold dilution technique. The three techniques gave good agreement except with the leastsensitive patients, some of whom had a positive skin test but undetectable histamine release or IgE antibodies. Twenty-one patients who were highly sensitive to ragweed as measured by all three techniques were followed without specific immunotherapy. There was significant agreement between the level of positivity of all three tests and the symptom index obtained during the ragweed season. In 14 of the 21 patients there was a significant correlation between daily ragweed pollen counts and daily symptom indexes during the season. On the other hand, among the 16 least-sensitive patients (as judged by histamine release) the correlation between daily ragweed pollen counts and symptom indexes was significant in only 3 patients. Other significant allergens could not be identified in the latter group, and the cause of their symptoms is not clearly identified but appears not to be ragweed. The RAST is a quantitative technique that gives diagnostically useful information in ragweed hay fever, although not significantly different from basophil histamine release or carefully performed skin testing. The convenience to the patient may, however, offer a noticeable advantage.
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U2 - 10.1016/0091-6749(73)90059-6
DO - 10.1016/0091-6749(73)90059-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 4126355
AN - SCOPUS:0015831462
SN - 0091-6749
VL - 52
SP - 210
EP - 224
JO - The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
JF - The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
IS - 4
ER -