Journal List > Allergy Asthma Respir Dis > v.6(5) > 1102175

Lee, Yang, Yoon, Han, Kim, Kim, and the Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease Research Executive Committee: Proper allergen selection for serum specific IgE test in children

Abstract

Identifying allergic sensitization is important for the proper diagnosis and management of allergic diseases. Skin prick testing and measuring serum specific IgE antibodies are standard tests to confirm allergic sensitization. Skin prick testing has many advantages, but it is difficult to perform on young children. Serum specific IgE can be easily performed on young children, but it can be performed only up to 12 antigens in patients younger than 6 years due to insurance coverage. Therefore, it is important to select appropriate antigens for the patients. Appropriate allergens may vary depending on the patient's age, accompanying disease, and residential area, so that detailed history taking is essential for proper allergen selection. In this review, we will discuss considerations for selecting appropriate allergens for clinicians when performing an allergy test on difficult-to-test children under 6 years of age.

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Table 1.
Allergens for allergic test in infant and preschool children
Food allergy/atopic dermatitis Wheezing/allergic (<3 yr) Wheezing/allergic rhinitis hinitis (3–5 yr)
Egg white D. pteronyssinus D. pteronyssinus
Milk D. farinae D. farinae
Walnut Egg white Cat dander
Wheat Milk Dog dander
Peanut Peanut Altenaria alternata
Soybean Soybean Mold mix (Mx1)
Shrimp Wheat Cockroach
Buckwheat Buckwheat Oak
Fish (Cod) Cat dander Tree pollen mixture (Tx9)
Meat mixture (Fx73) Dog dander Grasss pollen mixture (Gx2)
D. pteronyssinus Mold mix (Mx1) Weed pollen mixture (Wx1)
D. farinae Wee pollen mixture (Wx1) Japanese hop

D. pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus; D. farinae, Dermatophagoides farinae.

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