Diagnosis of reaginic allergy with house dust, animal dander and pollen allergens in adult patients. II. A comparison between skin tests and provocation tests.

The results of skin tests (ST) were compared with those of 2,055 provocation tests (PT) in 403 patients with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis. The overall agreement between ST and PT results was 77%. Various correlation figures were found for different allergens. In patients with pronounced allergy in the shock organ the prportion of positive ST was higher than in those with low-grade allergy. It is concluded that only strong ST reactions should be relied upon. In other cases additional diagnostic methods are reccommended. The diagnostic precision of ST is of the same order of sizes as that of the radioallergosorbent test.