ImmunoCAP allergy tests’ accuracy cited

Allergy is a prevalent problem in the country and diagnosing it accurately has remained a major challenge.

There are now available diagnostic tests using sophisticated technology, which can detect blood levels of specific IgE, which is produced in the blood as a result of sensitization to an allergen or the substance, which triggers the allergic reaction.

Specific IgE increases with exposure to the allergen. When measured, these IgE levels are accurate indicators whether or not an individual is likely to have an allergic reaction.

Data published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology revealed that the ImmunoCAP system is superior to two other allergy diagnostic blood tests in the detection of quantitative specific IgE levels.

“This study is particularly important because it is the first of its kind to compare specific IgE results of different technologies to known results,” said Dr. Robert Reinhardt, professor of family medicine at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

The published study authored by a team headed by Professor Robert Wood of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, evaluated three common diagnostic systems for specific IgE antibody levels using serum samples and antibodies from mice (chimeric).

The antibody levels had been previously quantified using other analytical means, and the quantity of IgE was known.

The assays used in this study included the ImmunoCAP (Phadia) Specific IgE blood test, the Turbo radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and the Immulyte system.

The results revealed considerable differences with the Turbo-RAST and Immulyte sytem compared with the known results. The ImmunoCAP was closely consistent with the known results.

Many allergy experts worldwide agree with the authors that these findings have potentially serious clinical implications.

“While the systems present their results in the same apparent units or classes, it by no means signifies that the results are correct or interchangeable,” the study authors concluded.

Allergy symptoms often mimic symptoms caused by other conditions, so proper treatment always depends on an accurate diagnosis.

By accurately diagnosing allergies early on, healthcare providers can recommend avoidance strategies, so that patients can minimize their exposure to triggers, which collectively are responsible for pushing them over their allergic threshold and intensifying symptoms.

ImmunoCAP was the first allergy test to be approved by the United States FDA as a truly quantitative test for identifying allergens.

Phadia AB, with headquarters in Uppsala, Sweden, is the world leader in in-vitro IgE diagnostic research and product development.

This breakthrough tech­nology to diagnose allergy is now available in modern hospitals and laboratories, including the Manila Doctors Hospital, Medical City, Makati Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center, Clinica Manila, Asiatic Lab, Fe del Mundo Medical Center, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Medical Center (San Fernando, Pampanga), Our Lady of Mercy Diagnostics Center (Davao), St. Patrick’s Hospital Medical Center (Batangas), and Wellcare Clinics and Lab. Inc. (Cavite).