RESUMO
BACKGROUND: IgE-sensitization to food and inhalant allergens may precede and accompany the appearance of clinical symptoms of allergic diseases. The aim was to study the diagnostic capacity of Phadiatop(®) Infant (Phinf) for detecting IgE-sensitization at 5 yr of age and further to evaluate the predictive capacity of Phinf longitudinally with regard to sensitization and allergic symptoms in pre-school children. METHODS: Two hundred and one children with complete data on sIgE testing for 10 individual allergens, Phinf analyses, and clinical evaluations at 2 and 5 yr of age were evaluated. RESULTS: The diagnostic performance of Phinf, applied at the age of 5 and compared to specific IgE testing, gave a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 98%. The positive and negative predictive values were 97% and 92%, respectively. A positive Phinf test at 2 yr increased the odds 35.6-fold (95% CI 11.8-107) for IgE-sensitization and 14.7-fold (95% CI 4.4-49.7) for any allergic symptom at 5 yr of age. The association (OR) between Phinf and current symptoms was, at 2 and 5 yr of age, 3.6 (95% CI 1.6-7.9) and 18.4 (95% CI 7.4-45.8), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Phinf seems to be a reliable tool for predicting future sensitization as well as allergic symptoms in young children.