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lettersReply Hossein Moravej Hossein Moravej Department of Pediatric, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz, Iran Search for more papers by this author Email the corresponding author at [email protected] Published Online::1 Dec 2011https://doi.org/10.5144/0256-4947.2011.662SectionsPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail AboutIntroductionI read the letter from Dr. Mahmood Al-Mendalawi and his suggestion about the use of the atopy patch test (APT) rather than skin prick test (SPT) in infantile colic. SPT is a painful method for infants, but certainly it is simpler and less troublesome than dietary changes in infants.In our study, we found that the elimination of cow's milk from mother's diet in exclusively breast-fed infants had no effect on the symptoms of colic in infants with a negative SPT. We did not conclude that performing this test as a routine test for all cases of infantile colic. As mentioned in the article, more studies are needed to determine which patients will benefit from these tests.The atopy patch test is a good test, especially for diagnosis of late-phase clinical reactions, but the SPT is especially useful for diagnosis of immediate-type reactions.1,2 Although in multiple studies, the APT has been introduced as an acceptable method for diagnosis of food allergy, its sensitivity and specificity has been variable.3,4 As Dr. Al-Mendalawi mentioned, the predictive value of APT in infantile colic needs extensive comparative studies.ARTICLE REFERENCES:1. In: Cudowska B, Kaczmarski M. "Atopy patch test in the diagnosis of food allergy in children with atopic eczema dermatitis syndrome" . Rocz Akad Med Bialymst. 2005; 50:261-7. Google Scholar2. In: Chung BY, Kim HO, Park CW, Lee CH. "Diagnostic Usefulness of the Serum-Specific IgE, the Skin Prick Test and the Atopy Patch Test Compared with That of the Oral Food Challenge Test" . Ann Dermatol. 2010; 22:404-411. Google Scholar3. In: Lipozencic J, Wolf R. "The diagnostic value of atopy patch testing and prick testing in atopic dermatitis: facts and controversies" . lin Dermatol. 2010; 28:38-44. Google Scholar4. In: Wainstein BK, Kashef S, Ziegler M, Jelley D, Ziegler JB. "Frequency and significance of immediate contact reactions to peanut in peanut-sensitive children" . Clin Exp Allergy. 2007; 37:839-45. Google Scholar Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 31, Issue 6Nov–Dec 2011 Metrics History Published online1 December 2011 InformationCopyright © 2011, Annals of Saudi MedicineThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.PDF download