Retrospective study evaluates diagnostic performance of skin prick test and immunoglobulin E in children, suggesting optimized cut-off values for symptom assessment.
Key Points
Assess the performance of skin prick tests (SPT) and specific immunoglobulin E (cat-sIgE) in diagnosing cat allergen sensitization in children.
Retrospective cross-sectional study of children aged 0-18 with cat allergen sensitization from January 2023 to January 2025.
Used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors linked to symptomatic status after cat exposure.
Analyzed demographic factors, comorbidities, and laboratory results alongside symptom status.
428 children included: 217 (50.7%) symptomatic and 211 (49.3%) asymptomatic after cat exposure.
Asthma linked with higher odds of being symptomatic; pollen sensitization was inversely related.
SPT wheal size and cat-sIgE levels showed high diagnostic accuracy with distinct cut-off values improving interpretation.