[The role of allergologic tests in asthma].

In order to establish the allergic etiology of asthma, the clinician must correlate some anamnestic details with those offered by the in vivo and in vitro allergological tests. Some specific allergic anamnestic informations (such as particular conditions of starting or worsening, co-existence of other allergic disorders, family atopic status) can be revealed by any experimented clinician but the performance of cutaneous tests must be done only by an allergology physician. EAACI recommends allergological prick tests as a reference method; it must be done only with standardized extracts; it has the optimal diagnostic sensibility. Among the in vitro tests, determination of allergenic specific IgE has a less sensibility and specificity value; Pharmacia UNI-CAP remains the best in vitro method. The diagnostic of an allergic asthma must be followed by prophylactic measures directed against specific allergens and, in appropriate cases, by immunotherapy with allergenic vaccines.