[Total and specific IgE determination in children allergy. A comparison with the skin tests (author's transl)]

Authors have carried out 478 IgE determinations by radioimmunoassay on children under 14. 78 determinations on healthy children were used to obtain normal IgE values according to age. The remaining determinations referred to 400 children, who came to the Allergy Department. In 120 cases IgE values above 100 U/ml were obtained. In 97 cases a skin test and a specific IgE determination (RAST) carried out compared to 11 allergens. Authors compared the results in order to evaluate the diagnostic reliability of both tests. The RAST specificity was higher than the skin test. The predictive value of the positive RAST was 0.96. Because of its easy accomplishment, innocuity, high specificity and high predictive value, the total and specific IgE determination turns out to be very useful in the diagnosis of children allergy.