The Role of Phadiatop Tests and Total Immunoglobulin E Levels in Screening Aeroallergens: A Hospital-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Screening for the existence of aeroallergens in patients with possible allergic rhinitis using venous blood samples has become more popular, with advantages of increased convenience and less consumption of time. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivities and specificities of Phadiatop tests and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in both adults and children. METHODS: This study was conducted prospectively in a tertiary center. The process of recruitment took place from Jan 2015 to Dec 2019, and patients with clinical symptoms that suggested persistent allergic rhinitis were recruited and their serum samples collected. The results of the total IgE and Phadiatop tests as well as the positive items in the ImmunoCAP assay were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 9174 cases with complete data were enrolled, including 576 children and 8598 adults. A positive result in the ImmunoCAP assay was considered a positive atopic status towards aeroallergens. While using the total IgE levels to predict positive aeroallergens, the sensitivities and specificities were 65.7% and 85.7%, respectively, for adults and 86.3% and 77.4%, respectively, for children. When we used Phadiatop tests for allergy screening, the sensitivities and specificities was 94.5% and 98.2%, respectively, for the adult group and 98.5% and 96.8%, respectively, for the pediatric group. CONCLUSION: The Phadiatop test had better diagnostic power for aeroallergen detection than the serum total IgE levels, or even the dual test, for both the adult and pediatric groups in this hospital-based study. We suggest that the Phadiatop test is more cost-effective in aeroallergen screening for patients with suspected atopic airway diseases.