Comparison between intracutaneous and prick tests in detecting sensitizations to common Mediterranean allergens

The role of the intracutaneous test (IC) in clinical allergy routine was evaluated comparing its results with those from the prick test, the radioallergosorbent test (RAST), and the specific bronchial provocation test (BPT). The study was carried out making an a posteriori survey of 384 patients suffering from symptoms of perennial and seasonal rhinitis and/or bronchial asthma. They were tested with the most common allergens in the Mediterranean countries; 681 prick tests and 489 IC tests were compared with RAST and 69 with BPT. The IC tests showed disagreement with RAST and BPT more frequently than prick tests: this is attributable to a lesser degree of specificity of IC test performed with the usual concentrations, and depends on the nature of the allergens. On the other hand the prick test is no less sensitive than the IC test, being the occurrence of RAST positivity in patients with negative skin tests similar for the prick and IC tests. These results support the concept of the prick test as preferable with respect to the IC test because of its specificity and sensitivity.