[Values of intradermal skin test and serum sIgE detection in diagnosing Humulus scandens pollinosis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the values of intradermal skin test (IDT) and serum specific IgE detection in diagnosing Humulus scandens sensitivity in Chinese patients with autumnal hay fever. METHODS: 1150 patients, 504 males and 646 females, aged 5 approximately 75, were evaluated as with autumnal rhinitis and asthma by experienced physicians. Then the patients underwent IDT by using 20 kinds of aeroallergen extracts, at the concentration of 1:1000 (w/v) for Artemisia spp. and ragweed or at the concentration of 1:100 (w/v) for Humulus scandens and others. The Humulus sIgE level was performed in all patients. A diagnosing criteria was established according to typical history, symptoms, and any one of the following findings: (1) wheal > or = 5 mm in diameter by IDT and sIgE to Humulus of the concentration > or = 0.35 kUa/L at same time; (2) wheal > or = 10 mm in diameter by IDT alone; and (3) sIgE to Humulus of the concentration > or = 0.70 kUa/L alone. RESULTS: When using the above diagnosing criteria as the reference standard, IDT had better sensitivity (97.2%), positive predictive value (PV+) (77.9%), negative predictive value (PV-) (90.6%) and efficiency (80.4% than using sIgE > or = 0.35 kUa/L alone as the reference criteria of IDT, however, had a lower specificity (49.8%); and sIgE detection had better sensitivity (89.0%), specificity (97.5%), PV+ (98.8%), PV- (88.0%) and efficiency (92.0%) than using wheal > or = 5 mm in diameter alone as the reference criteria of sIgE detection. The false positive rate of IDT decreased from 59.9% to 17.4% when using wheal diameter > or = 10 mm as the positive criteria. In the 288 patients with a negative sIgE result and a positive IDT result 84 cases had stronger positive IDT result (with the wheal diameter > or = 10 mm). CONCLUSION: IDT is correlated well with sIgE detection in diagnosing Humulus scandens pollinosis, but the false positive rate of IDT is higher than that of sIgE test. The false positive rate of IDT can be decreased by increasing the positive criteria to higher grading reaction. The immunotherapy according to the lower grading positive result of IDT alone or sIgE alone should be avoided.

[Value of intradermal skin test and serum sIgE detection in diagnosing artemisia pollinosis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of intradermal skin test (IDT) and serum sIgE detection in diagnosing Artemisia sensitivity in Chinese patients with autumnal hay fever. METHODS: 1150 patients with autumnal rhinitis or asthma, 504 males and 646 females, aged 5 approximately 77, were evaluated by experienced physicians, then underwent IDT by using 20 kinds of aeroallergen extracts. The concentrations of Artemisia and Ragweed extracts employed in skin test were 1:1000 (W/V) and the concentrations of other aeroallergens were all 1:100 (W/V). Then all patients underwent detection of Artemisia sIgE. Diagnostic standards were established based on the results of IDT and sIgE results respectively. A reference standard was established according to the typical history, symptoms, and an wheal with a diameter >or= 5mm and a sIgE level >or= 0.35 kU(A)/L, an wheal with the diameter >or= 10 mm alone; or a sIgE level >or= 0.70 kUa/L alone. RESULTS: When using the reference standard as criteria, using IDT had better sensitivity (96.2%), specificity (74.2%), positive predictive value (+PV, 93.5%), negative predictive value (-PV, 85.7%), and efficiency (91.6%) than using sIgE >or= 0.35 kUa/L alone as the criteria of IDT; sIgE detection had better sensitivity (97.6%), specificity (94.9%), +PV (98.7%), -PV (91.1%), and efficiency (97.0%) than using wheal diameter >or= 5 mm alone as the criteria of sIgE detection. The false positive rate of IDT and sIgE detection decreased from 35% and 22.7% to 25.6% and 5.1% respectively when using the wheal diameter >or= 10 mm or sIgE >or= 0.70 kUa/L as a positive criteria. CONCLUSION: IDT and sIgE detection are correlated with each other well in diagnosing Artemisia pollinosis, both of them have the possibility of being false positive, but IDT has higher false positive rate than sIgE detection. The false positive rates of IDT and sIgE detection can be decreased by increasing the positive criteria to higher grading reaction.

[Natural course from rhinitis to asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis: a clinical study of 1096 patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the natural course from rhinitis to asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis. METHODS: 1096 patients with autumnal pollinosis, 488 males and 632 females, aged 38 +/- 14 (5 - 77), 511 with pure allergic rhinitis and 585 with allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma, underwent skin test of inhalant allergens, serum IgE specific to autumnal pollens, and questionnaire survey. RESULTS: The age range of rhinitis induced by autumnal pollens was 2 - 75. The peak onset age of rhinitis was 15 - 44, and the peak onset age of asthma was 25 - 54. 33% of the rhinitis patients complicated with asthma (194/585) had their first attack of rhinitis and the first attack of asthma in the same year, 66% of them (386/585) had the first attack of asthma later than the first attack of rhinitis, and only 0.8% of them (5/585) had their first attack of asthma earlier than that of rhinitis. 37% of the patients with autumnal pollen allergic rhinitis (410/1096) developed asthma within 5 years, 47% (511/1096), within 9 years, 5% (58/1096) within 10 approximately 19 years, and 1.5% (16/1096) within 20 - 40 years. CONCLUSION: Almost half of the patients with autumnal pollen allergic rhinitis develop to seasonal allergic asthma within 9 years.

[The clinical study of the relationship between allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis. METHODS: 1120 patients with autumnal pollinosis, aged 5 - 75, excluding those with typical symptoms of seasonal rhinitis or asthma but with positive skin test and serum IgE specific to dustmite and fungi, underwent standardized clinical questionnaire survey, including the onset age, onset time, and symptoms as well as the severity of asthma, skin tests, and examination of serum IgE specific to autumnal pollens. RESULTS: The average onset age of the allergic rhinitis patients induced by autumnal pollens was 27.9 years, significantly younger than that of the allergic asthma patients (32.6 years, P < 0.001). Out of the 1120 patients 1096 (97.9%) had allergic rhinitis, 602 (53.8%) had asthma, 507 (45.3%) had allergic rhinitis only, and 10 (0.9%) had allergic asthma only. Among the 1096 patients with allergic rhinitis 585 (53.4%) suffered from seasonal asthma. Among the 602 patients with asthma 585 (97.2%) suffered from seasonal rhinitis, and 183 of the 602 patients (30.8%) needed emergency treatment. CONCLUSION: Autumnal pollens are very important causes which induce asthma during autumnal season in northern China.