The study evaluated the effectiveness of specific IgE (sIgE) testing for wheat and rye flour in diagnosing occupational asthma compared to a specific inhalation challenge (SIC), which is considered the gold standard.
Results showed that sIgE levels of 0.35 kU/L or greater had similar diagnostic sensitivity and specificity to the SIC, but higher sIgE thresholds increased specificity significantly.
The findings suggest that high sIgE levels can effectively indicate flour-induced occupational asthma, while low levels in patients with a positive SIC may correlate with lower T2 inflammatory biomarkers.