Reliability of the prick-test in comparison to other techniques

This paper aims to establish the diagnostic reliability of the Prick test and its correlation to other techniques used in allergologic diagnosis: intracutaneous testing, RAST, hemagglutination, histamine liberation test. All of these tests were realized in 55 patients with bronchial asthma and with marked sensitization to diverse inhaled allergens and in a control group of 20 healthy subjects. A low correlation is observed between the Prick test and a positive intracutaneous test for house dust, somewhat higher correlation is seen for dermatophagoides and even higher for pollen. Greater reliability is demonstrated for the intracutaneous test as compared to the other in vitro techniques.