@article {GuptaP4033, author = {Nitesh Gupta and Raj Kumar}, title = {Skin prick test versus specific IgE {\textendash} A comparative study in patients with bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis in India}, volume = {44}, number = {Suppl 58}, elocation-id = {P4033}, year = {2014}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Background: Skin prick test (SPT) is the gold standard in the assessment of allergic sensitivities due to inhalants allergens. Serum specific IgE (SSIgE) measurement by ImmunoCAP is a complementary test with the antigen extracts derived from European antigens.Aim and Objective: The aim is to evaluate the correlation of SSIgE results with gold standard SPT against cockroach, housefly and mosquito, 3 aeroallergens which are frequently implicated in driving respiratory allergies in India.Methods: Fifty patients (15-50 yr, mean 28.5 yr) diagnosed with bronchial asthma and/or allergic rhinitis underwent SPT. SSIgE levels were obtained at the same visit. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of SSIgE testing were calculated using SPT as a gold standard. The correlation between SPT grading and SSIgE levels was also evaluated.Results: The study included 50 patients; 29 males and 21 females. Among the 3 aero-allergens, cockroach SSIgE had highest sensitivity (74.3\%) and PPV (91.1\%), however NPV (37.5\%) and specificity (54.5\%) being the lowest. On the contrary, housefly SSIgE had highest specificity (86.6\%) and NPV (54.5\%) but lowest sensitivity (68.7\%) and PPV (78.5\%). The two tests were in agreement (i.e., both positive or both negative) in 70\% (cockroach), 78\% (mosquito) and 62\% (housefly). The study also observed a significant positive correlation between the grades of SPT reaction and SSIgE level for all the 3 aero-allergens.Conclusions: SSIgE using antigen extracts of cockroach and housefly from a different geographical region seem to give comparable results, and can thus be reliably used in evaluation of allergy.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4033}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }