[Skin prick test using two different allergen prick reagents, a comparative study in Shanghai].

Area of Science:

• Allergen immunotherapy
• Clinical immunology
• Respiratory medicine

Background:

• Allergic rhinitis affects a significant portion of the population.
• Accurate allergen testing is crucial for effective diagnosis and treatment.
• Different allergen testing reagents may yield varying results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic efficacy of Allergopharma and ALK company allergens using skin prick tests (SPT).
• To analyze allergen-specific positive rates in patients with allergic rhinitis in Shanghai.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 9,233 allergic rhinitis patients were divided into Allergopharma and Alutard-SQ (ALK) groups.
• Skin prick testing was performed between June 2005 and February 2013.
• Positive reaction rates for both reagents were statistically analyzed.

Main Results:

• No significant demographic differences were observed between the groups.
• The overall positive SPT rate was higher for Allergopharma (62.90%) compared to Alutard-SQ (59.68%) (P < 0.01).
• Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus showed significantly different positive rates between the two reagent groups (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Different allergen reagents for SPT yield varying positive rates in the same patient population.
• Dust mites (Dermatophagoides species) are the predominant allergens identified.
• Clinical decisions regarding specific immunotherapy should consider potential differences between SPT reagent brands.