Reproducibility of standardized bronchial allergen provocation test

Area of Science:

• Allergy and Immunology
• Pulmonology
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Asthma diagnosis relies on accurate assessment of bronchial hyperresponsiveness.
• Standardized allergen provocation is a key method for evaluating specific airway responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the reproducibility of standardized bronchial allergen provocation in patients with extrinsic asthma.
• To determine the reliability of this method for routine allergy diagnostics and further research.

Main Methods:

• Nineteen patients with extrinsic asthma underwent standardized bronchial allergen provocation twice, with a median interval of 14 days.
• Allergen concentrations increased tenfold, and responses were measured by the decrease in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1).
• The allergen concentration causing a 20% decrease in FEV1 (allergen PC20) was recorded.

Main Results:

• All provocations resulted in bronchial reactions within acceptable clinical limits.
• High reproducibility was observed, with a Spearman rank correlation coefficient (Rho) of 0.90 (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Standardized bronchial allergen provocation is a reproducible and reliable test.
• This method is suitable for routine allergy diagnostics and investigating specific bronchial reactivity.