Comparison of the basophil activation test versus the nasal provocation test in establishing eligibility for specific immunotherapy.

INTRODUCTION    Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common atopic disease. Specific immunotherapy (SIT) is the only effective treatment method for AR. In uncertain diagnostic cases, before establishing eligibility for SIT, nasal provocation tests (NPTs) should be performed.

[Diagnosis of food allergy].

Food allergy is most often linked to the type I allergic reaction, while IgE-dependent mechanism causes symptoms in only about 50% of patients. If symptoms are coming from other types of allergic reactions we do not have enough standardized diagnostic methods. The purpose of our review is to discuss the possibilities of diagnosis of food allergies.

[Usefulness of basophil activation test for the diagnosis of inhaled allergies].

Allergic diseases are important health problems. Medical history and results of additional tests play a crucial role in the diagnosis. Cytometric basophil activation test (BAT) is widely evaluated technique in inhaled, food, Hymenoptera venom and drugs allergy.

[Basophil activation test--a practical approach to diagnosis of common respiratory allergy].

Background: The diagnosis of immediate allergy is based on clinical data, skin prick tests (SPT), and measurements of allergen-specific IgE (sIgE). Basophil activation test (BAT) can supplement these methods and obviate their disadvantages, and possibly replace allergen challenge tests, such as a nasal provocative test (NPT). In this study, we assessed the influence of different storage times on BAT results.

Eosinophilic reaction in nasal cytology in patients sensitive to perennial and seasonal allergens.

Nasal exfoliative cytology is a complementary tool in diagnostics of allergic (AR) and non-allergic (NAR) rhinitis. The aim of the study was to determine the usefulness of the nasal cytology in patients sensitive to common inhalant allergens with positive SPT(+) and negative SPT(-) (Skin Prick Tests) depending on the symptoms of intermittent and persistent rhinitis. The study was performed in a group of 285 patients treated in the Department of Allergology University Hospital in Krakow, suspected on AR in 2008-2010.

[Life-threatening drug reactions in children].

Adverse drug reactions in children are serious public health problem. The overall incidence of ADRs is estimated at about 9.5% in hospitalized children and about 1.