Screening for allergic respiratory disease in the general population with the ADVIA Centaur Allergy Screen Assay

Allergy. 2006 Mar;61(3):344-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2006.00968.x.

Abstract

Background: In patients in whom the clinical indication for immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic respiratory disease is weak, a single qualitative multiallergen-screening assay for IgE antibody to multiple allergen specificities may support the absence of IgE-mediated allergic respiratory disease. The aim was to investigate the diagnostic efficacy of a new multiallergen-screening assay in relation to skin prick test (SPT) reactivity and objective diagnoses of allergic respiratory disease in a general population setting.

Methods: A total of 709 participants in a population-based study were examined by questionnaire and SPT. Serum was analysed by using a multiallergen-screening assay: the ADVIA Centaur Allergy Screen (AS) assay. The dichotomized result of the AS assay was compared with SPT reactivity, specific IgE positivity, and a clinical diagnosis of allergic rhinitis or allergic asthma defined by the presence of relevant symptoms and positive SPTs.

Results: Sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of the AS against SPT reactivity were 86%, 96%, 94%, and 89%, respectively. A negative AS assay test was able to exclude allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma with a probability of more than 96% and 98% (NPV), respectively. The AS assay was able to identify more than 92% and 92% (sensitivity) of cases of allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma, respectively.

Conclusions: The AS assay proved to be a valid measure of allergic respiratory disease and may be used as a screening tool to rule out allergic respiratory disease, and as an objective measure of allergic respiratory disease in epidemiological studies.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / blood*
  • Asthma / diagnosis
  • Asthma / epidemiology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Desensitization, Immunologic
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypersensitivity, Immediate / diagnosis*
  • Hypersensitivity, Immediate / epidemiology
  • Immunoglobulin E / immunology*
  • Immunologic Tests / methods
  • Male
  • Mass Screening / methods*
  • Prevalence
  • Probability
  • Prospective Studies
  • Respiratory Hypersensitivity / diagnosis*
  • Respiratory Hypersensitivity / epidemiology
  • Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / diagnosis
  • Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / epidemiology
  • Risk Assessment
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Skin Tests / methods

Substances

  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic
  • Immunoglobulin E