Significance of prick test in asthma diagnosis

Abstract

Asthma presents large health issue around world. In last few decades, rise of asthma prevalence and incidence was observed in pediatric age. It is chronic inflammatory disease which is clinically characterized by recurrent respiratory symptoms, dyspnea, chest contraction and coughing. Symptoms are often accompanied with reversible restriction of air flow through respiratory system. In routine clinical practice, diagnostics of asthma in childhood is based on anamnesis, physical exam, bronchodilators response, allergological tests and exam of lungs functions. Allergological tests are primary diagnostic method in allergology. In clinical diagnostics, prick test (PT) is most common, due to his sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility and good correlation with IgE levels and bronchial responsiveness. Aim of undertaken research is determination of positive allergological tests frequency in children with asthma, considering that allergological test are one of criterion for asthma diagnose. Twenty-five children from control group and seventy-five children with asthma were examined. Group distribution has been done according to severity of asthma, forming three groups: children with easy, severe and very severe asthma. Positive skin tests were observed in 44% of children in control group, 84% children with easy asthma case, 88% children with severe asthma and all children with very severe asthma diagnose. Positive probes on Dermatophagoides are most common: 92,0% in group of children with very severe asthma, 75,0% children with severe asthma and 63,3% children with easy asthma, while positive tests on other alergens were presented in smaller percentage.