[Experiences with thrombocytopenia test in specific diagnosis of food hypersensitivity]

100 thrombocytopenia tests (TT) from 73 patients with suspected food allergies were critically examined to establish the value of this method compared with case history, skin tests and, where possible, with the RAST for determination of specific IgE antibodies. 85% of the tests most probably, or definitely, provided the correct result. 10% of the results were either false positives or false negatives, and 5% were inconclusive. A flare-up was observed after 18% of the tests. No positive TT for milk, as the most frequent allergen, was observed in a control group of 20 healthy persons. The thrombocytopenia test is a useful exposure test but should be regarded as a supplement to skin tests and other methods of allergy diagnosis.