Diagnosis Of Allergic Diseases Research Articles

Diagnosis of Allergy: In Vitro Testing

Relatively few laboratory tests are of proven value in the differential diagnosis and management of allergic diseases. Immunoassays for IgE and for IgE antibodies are the mainstays. Measurement of IgE in serum is advocated as a first-order laboratory test in the differential diagnosis of allergic disease in children and adults. The usefulness of laboratory tests for IgE antibodies in serum, once a subject of debate in the clinical allergy literature, is now firmly established. Confusion, in respect to the use of these tests, is most evident in clinical situations which have been the subject of limited clinical investigation, e.g., the use of tests for IgE antibodies to screen for allergic disease, the indications for their use in patients treated with allergen immunotherapy, and the diagnostic specificity of IgE antibodies to foods as an indicator of food-induced allergic symptoms. Confusion is also apparent in the interpretation of borderline test results, i.e., results which may indicate the presence of low titers of IgE antibodies, and in defining the optimum format for reporting results to maximize the analytical sensitivity of the test method. This review addresses the ambiguities noted above in the interpretation of results. The paragraphs that follow also consider the possible uses of laboratory tests for inflammatory mediators of immediate hypersensitivity, for IgG antibodies to allergens, and of tests designed to evaluate the in vitro functions of lymphocytes in patients with allergic disease.

Pediatric Allergic Disease: Focus on Clinical Diagnosis

This volume might be suitably subtitled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Diagnosis of Allergic Disease but Were Too Busy to Ask. It is a remarkable compilation of diagnostic information about a carefully circumscribed field, pediatric allergic diseases. Perhaps because so limited an area was selected, the information presented is remarkably complete. The opening chapter deals with differential diagnosis of the most common pediatric allergy syndromes, including tables of differential diagnosis, which are listings grouped by etiology, and explanatory text, which is concise but complete. The chapter on history provides sample forms and a brief text describing nuances in history taking that may aid in the differential diagnosis. Other sections discuss things to look for on a physical examination and in routine laboratory studies that might point to the diagnosis of allergy. There are 45 x-ray films, mostly of chest conditions that enter into the differential diagnosis of

How helpful is the radioallergosorbent test in the diagnosis of allergic disease?

We compared the results of clinical history, skin testing, and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) scores on 274 patients seen in an allergy clinic, using nine different allergens, namely ragweed, oak, Bermuda grass, redtop, Timothy, Alternaria, cat hair, house dust, and dust mite. More than 90% of patients who reported clinical allergy to pollens had a positive skin test to the respective allergen. Only two thirds of these patients also had a positive RAST, while only one patient in this group had a positive RAST and a negative skin test. Of the patients reporting allergy to cat hair, 60% had a positive RAST but only 46% had a positive skin test. For the case of dust allergy, there was poor agreement between test results and history, since more than half of the patients who reported symptoms from dust exposure had a negative RAST and negative skin test results.

The diagnosis of allergic disease.

The diagnosis of allergic disease.

Diagnosis of Allergic Diseases in the Childhood by the Radioallergosorbent Test (RAST)

Diagnosis of Allergic Diseases in the Childhood by the Radioallergosorbent Test (RAST)

Allergic Diseases Diagnosis and Management.

This book is oriented to the clinical aspects of allergic disorders. It is a welcome addition to the numerous recent publications dealing with newer immunological information and its clinical application. Throughout the volume, the accent is on the practical management of the allergic patient, without overlooking the basic immunobiologic events that are involved. It attempts to cover the art as well as the science of allergy practice. Eighteen practicing allergists and two research associates contributed articles. They were selected because of common training ground or academic affiliation in an effort to maintain a uniform approach toward the management. There is considerable repetition dealing with history-taking, immunobiochemistry, and pathological studies of each of the allergic syndromes, many of which have similar basic mechanisms. Whether this is justifiable in order to give the inquiring physician a complete review of the subject under a single heading is conjectural. There may also be some

Early diagnosis of allergic disease of respiratory tract: Clarke, J. A., Jr.: Pennsylvania M. J. 38: 408, 1935

Early diagnosis of allergic disease of respiratory tract: Clarke, J. A., Jr.: Pennsylvania M. J. 38: 408, 1935