Evaluation of Chemiluminescent Allergy Assay System

Cheon, In Woo; Jeon, Mee Juhng; Ryang, Dong Wook

Abstract

Skin test and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) have been usually used for diagnosis of allergic disease, but multiple allergosorbent chemiluminescent assay (MAST CLA) system was recently developed. In this study the clinical usefulness of MAST CLA Korean panel was evaluated in diagnosis of allergic disease. Three hundred fifty patients with allergic symptoms who visited Chonnam University Hospital, Kwangju Veterans' Hospital and Mokpo St. Colomban Hospital from July 1992 to January 1995 were tested by MAST. Skin prick test and total IgE quantitation by EIA were also performed. 1. None of control group who had no allergic history did not show MAST- positive. 141 of 350 patients (40.3%) were MAST-positive. However, 187 patients (53.4%) showed MAST-negative on each allergen even though the total IgE in MAST was within class 2 level or above. 2. Correlation between total IgE class of MAST and total IgE concentration measured by EIA was not observed. So MAST CLA total IgE determination was not useful. 3. MAST-positive rate was 61.9% (13/21) in combined allergic diseases, 43.2% (19/44) in allergic rhinitis, 43.1% (84/195) in bronchial asthma, 21.4% (3/14) in atopic dermatitis, 30.0% (15/50) in COPD, and 29.2% (7/24) in other diseases. 4. 36 of 141 cases which were MAST-positive (25.5%) showed positive reaction on only one allergen, and these 141 MAST-positive patients had 2.9 allergens in average. 5. Commonly detected allergens in chonnam area were Dermatophagoides farinae (26.0%), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (19.1%), house dust (9.1%), bermuda grass (5.4%), perenial rye (4.6%), cat hairs, timothy grass, and meadow fescue (4.3%). 6. Coincidence rate between MAST and skin test was 90.0% in 56 patients. However, several cases were skin test-positive and MAST-negative on housedust, cat hairs, mugwort and ragweed. These results suggest that recomposition of MAST korean panel with more frequently detected allergens is necessary in order to increase allergen-positivity.