[The results of comparative examinations in patients with grass pollen allergies (author's transl)]

Detailed histories of 20 patients with suspected hay fever were prepared from questionnaires. These patients were skin-tested with allergens prepared form four different grass mixtures, and a nasal provocative test with a fifth grass preparation was utilized. This latter test was evaluated by the clinical reaction of the nasal mucous membrane, by measuring the temperature variations in the nasal lumen, and by determining the nasal resistance with the use of "passive anterior rhinomanometry" (P.A.R.). In addition, the total serum IgE level and three grass-specific IgE concentrations were determined. The following results were then found: eight patients were consistently positive and four patients were consistently negative in all tests for allergens. Among the remaining eight patients, two false-positive and six false-negative patients by skin tests were uncovered by the additional use of history, IgE determinations and the nasal provocative test with rhinomanometric evaluation.