Utilidad diagnóstica del Prick test y de la IgE específica para identificar alérgenos frecuentes en pacientes alérgicos de 2 a 17 años atendidos en el Hospital Roberto Gilbert entre julio de 2021 y abril de 2023.

Abstract

Introduction: Allergic diseases currently have a significant impact on pediatric health. This study explores the diagnostic utility and concordance of the Prick test and specific IgE for the detection of sensitization to common allergens, highlighting that there are settings where both tests are not always available. Objectives: To determine the diagnostic utility of the Prick test and specific IgE in pediatric patients with IgE-mediated allergic disease. Methodology: We analyzed 727 medical records; 104 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median age was 6 years, with a predominance of males (59.6%). Chronic rhinitis was the most common allergic disease. Dust mites were the most frequent allergens in all age groups. Specific IgE showed greater diagnostic performance compared to the prick test for most of the allergens evaluated; Blomia tropicalis was the only one that showed statistically significant relevance. Dust mites showed good concordance, Blomia tropicalis showed moderate concordance, and animal and food dander showed poor concordance. Conclusions: Specific IgE showed greater diagnostic accuracy than the prick test for most of the allergens evaluated, particularly in food and animal dander, but this difference was not statistically significant. The prick test retained diagnostic utility in dust mite sensitization.