Intradermal testing after negative skin prick testing for patients with high suspicion of allergy. Issue 6 (10th March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Larrabee, Yuna C.; Reisacher, William
• Is Part Of: International forum of allergy & rhinology. Volume 5:Issue 6(2015:Jun.)
• Page Start: 547
• Page End: 550
• Publication Date: 2015-03-10
• Subjects: 617.51005
• DOI: 10.1002/alr.21512
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2042-6976

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="alr21512-sec-0010" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>Skin testing is a widely accepted method for identifying inhalant allergies. Intradermal (ID) testing is often performed after negative skin prick testing (SPT) when a practitioner has a high level of clinical suspicion for a particular allergen.</p> </sec> <sec id="alr21512-sec-0020" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>A retrospective chart review study was performed over a 5‐year period in patients with negative SPT for airborne allergens who also underwent ID testing based on a high level of suspicion for clinical allergy.</p> </sec> <sec id="alr21512-sec-0030" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Eighty‐seven patients had negative SPT and went on to receive an average of 7 ID tests per patient. A total of 592 ID tests were performed after negative SPT. Of these, 20.8% (123/592) had a positive ID result with negative SPT. The allergens with the greatest percentage of positive ID results with negative SPTs were dog, cat, <italic>D. farinae</italic>, and <italic>D. pteronyssinus</italic> (33.3%, 34.3%, 39.4%, and 39.6%, respectively). The allergens least likely to test positive on ID testing after negative SPT were red maple, <italic>Cladosporium</italic>, and <italic>Alternaria</italic> (0%, 6.3%, and 6.5%, respectively).</p> </sec> <sec id="alr21512-sec-0040" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Approximately 20% of all negative results on SPT will have a positive ID test, more likely for indoor allergens. If a high suspicion for allergy exists in a patient with a negative SPT result, it may be useful to proceed with ID testing. However, the clinical significance of a positive ID test after negative SPT still needs to be elucidated.</p> </sec> </abstract>