Interpretation of the Diagnostic Accuracy of the Nasal Allergy Test

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a prevalent health concern. In Europe, 20-40% of the population is affected. Diagnostic methods include skin tests, measurement of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), nasal smear for eosinophils, and inhalation provocation tests. The introduction of the nasal allergy test has simplified allergen testing for the direct determination of specific IgE on the nasal mucosa.

A prospective study conducted from 2010 to 2012 included 102 participants diagnosed with AR and 60 control participants without persistent AR, based on medical history and physical examination. Participants from both groups underwent a nasal test using prepared inhalant allergy panels. Specific IgE was tested using the ELISA processor Hytec 288. The aim of the study was to interpret diagnostic accuracy measures for each allergen panel.

The nasal allergy test demonstrated sensitivity above 75%, and specificity approaching 90%. The positive predictive value was 91.25%, while the negative predictive value was 71%. The positive likelihood ratio (LR) ranged from 3.75 to 34.59, indicating that a positive result was 10.23 times more likely in patients than in controls. A negative LR was 0.25, suggesting that participants in the control group were four times more likely to yield a negative result than allergic individuals.

The nasal allergy test is recommended due to its simplicity, minimal risk profile compared to conventional tests, and high diagnostic reliability.