Pm. Matricardi et al., EVALUATION OF THE OVERALL DEGREE OF SENSITIZATION TO AIRBORNE ALLERGENS BY A SINGLE SEROLOGIC TEST - IMPLICATIONS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIESOF ALLERGY, Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 93(1), 1994, pp. 68-79
In most epidemiologic studies of respiratory allery, the overall degre
e of sensitization is usually measured by indices based on skin prick
test reactions to a panel of relevant airborne allergens. In the prese
nt study we used a single assay (CAP-Phadiatop, Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sw
eden), which is based on the reaction between serum-specific IgE and a
mixture of locally relevant inhalant allergens to measure the degree
of sensitization to inhalants in the sera of 1815 young Italian men, i
n whom a complete diagnostic workup for respiratory allergy was perfor
med in parallel. The intensity of reaction in the CAP-Phadiatop assay
was highly correlated with: (1) an allergy index (p < 0.005), based on
skin prick test reactivity to seven relevant inhalant allergens (Derm
atophagoides pteronyssinus, mixed grass pollens, cat epithelium, Parie
taria judaica, Olea europaea, Artemisia vulgaris, Alternaria tenuis);
(2) the concentration of specific IgE to the same allergens, measured
by CRP-RAST(p < 0.001), in both monosensitized and polysensitized subj
ects; (3) the rate of respiratory allergic diseases (p < 0.0001). Ther
efore CAP-Phadiatop intensity of reaction is a reliable indicator of t
he overall degree of sensitization to inhalant allergens. Furthermore,
as demonstrated by relative operating characteristic analysis, it has
an acceptable detectability power in identifying subjects with sympto
matic expression of the atopy status [P(A) = 0.948]. The evaluation of
the degree of sensitization to inhalants by a single and semiautomate
d assay represents a step forward in the standardization of procedures
for epidemiologic studies of inhalant allergic diseases and for mass
screening programs, which are aimed at identifying predictive markers
of disease susceptibility.