Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Pickl-Herk, B.
Negative predictive value of the basophil activation test
[ Diplomarbeit ] Medical University of Graz; 2012. pp. 64
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Sturm Gunter
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- Abstract:
- Insect stings can cause severe, life threatening allergic reactions. Double positive results for bee and wasp venom are frequent, but often clinically irrelevant. Therefore it can be difficult to find the relevant venom for therapy. The basophil activation test is generally recognized as an additional and reliable tool in the diagnosis of hymenoptera venom allergy. Several studies have confirmed its usefulness in determining the culprit venom. The aim of the current study was to examine its ability to identify clinically irrelevant insects and to demonstrate that a negative result in the basophil activation test has a high negative predictive value. For that purpose 14 patients with a history of systemic anaphylactic reactions to Hymenoptera stings that showed double-sensitization in intradermal tests and sIgE quantification were analyzed with two different protocols of the basophil activation test. One protocol was commercially available as ready-to-use kit, the other was a protocol developed by the Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Graz. Negative results of the basophil activation test were confirmed by sting challenges with the respective insects. High negative predictive values were found for both protocols. They were determined 92.9% and 87.5% for the commercially available protocol and for that developed at the Department of Dermatology, respectively. These findings clearly show that the basophil activation test is a useful additional diagnostic tool for determining clinically irrelevant sensitization.