• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제50권5호
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• pp.409-415
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• 2007

Allergy skin prick test and intradermal test represent one of the major tools in the diagnosis of IgE-mediated diseases like as atopic asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food and drug allergy, and insect bite when properly performed. Skin tests are of particular importance in fields such as allergen standardization, pharmacology, and epidemiology. Even if skin tests seem easy to perform, adequate and proper interpretation requires well-trained physicians who can recognize the numerous factors that may modify the results of skin tests.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제62권2호
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• pp.75-78
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• 2019

Although rare, antihistamines can cause adverse effects, including drug-induced eruptions or anaphylaxis. A 4-year-old child visited the pediatric department of a hospital for skin eruptions after administration of antihistamines, (e.g., ucerax [hydroxyzine] or leptizine [levocetirizine]), for cholinergic rashes; he did not have pruritus. Skin prick, intradermal, and drug provocation tests were performed to determine the relationship between the antihistamines and eruptions. Levocetirizine induced wheals in the skin prick test and a rash in the oral drug provocation test. In contrast, ketotifen induced no reaction in the skin prick test but showed a positive reaction in the oral provocation test. Our case report highlights that children can experience the same types of adverse reactions as seen in adults, and cross-reactivity between various antihistamines can occur.

• 한국안광학회지
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.159-164
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• 2006

본 연구는 광양에 사는 1352명을 대상으로 알레르기성 결막염 유병률과 이와 연관된 알레르기 항원의 감작률 및 항원의 종류를 알아보았다. 본 연구 대상자 중 40.2%가 알레르기성 결막염을 호소하였고 이들 중 알레르기 결막염으로 최종 진단을 받은 피검자는 15.8%이었다. 피부단자 반응 검사결과에서는 전체 대상자 중 여러 가지 항원 중 하나라도 양성을 보이는 대상자들은 20.2%였으며 알레르기성 결막염을 가지고 있으면서 피부단자반응에 양성을 보인 대상자들은 21.3%(n=103)이었다. 알레르기 증상을 보이는 대상자들의 각 알레르겐에 따른 양성반응에서는 집먼지 진드기와 같은 실내 항원이 주요 알레르겐으로 나타났다.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.119-124
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• 1999

Food allergies play an important role in Atopic Dermatitis (AD). Dietary manipulation is essential in the management of AD. However, there has been a paucity of data reporting the prevalence of food allergies in AD patients in Korea. In this study, the Food Open Challenge Tests (FOCT) were conducted to investigate food allergies in AD patients. The skin-prick test and the detection of specific IgE, as well as allergy history of patient were used to detect food allergies in all AD patients. Elimination diet was conducted for two weeks prior to FOCTs. The prevalence of food allergies by FOCT is as follows: milk (67.3%); chicken (64.2%); pork (62.8%); eggs (61.0%); beef(55.4%) ; wheat (52.0%) and soybean (45.2%). Allergenic food items in Korean AD patients were different from people in other foreign countries. The seven major foods those tested positively by FOCTs were completely eliminated from the replaced diets for two weeks, and were subsequently reintroduced one at a time. Results from FOCTs were not comparable with allergy history or skin-prick tests or specific IgE detection. The sensitivity and specificity of skin-prick tests and specific IgE detection were lower than FOCTs. Allergy history, skin-prick tests, and specific IgE detection are useful for the identification of food allergen but its clinical significance differed according to food items. Therefore, we conclude that even though a 10-day delay was necessary after food challenge, FOCT is a useful and valid method to confirm food allergies and may be essential for the effective control of food allergies for treatment of AD.

• 한국멀티미디어학회논문지
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• 제24권11호
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• pp.1492-1499
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• 2021

Skin prick test is widely used in diagnosing allergic sensitization to common inhalant or food allergens, in which positivities are manually determined by calculating the areas or mean diameters of wheals and erythemas provoked by allergens pricked into patients' skin. In this work, we propose a segmentation algorithm over U-Net, one of the FCN models of deep learning, to help us more objectively grasp the erythema boundaries. The performance of the model is analyzed by comparing the results of automatic segmentation of the test data to U-Net with the results of manual segmentation. As a result, the average Dice coefficient value was 94.93%, the average precision and sensitivity value was 95.19% and 95.24% respectively. We find that the proposed algorithm effectively discriminates the skin's erythema boundaries. We expect this algorithm to play an auxiliary role in skin prick test in real clinical trials in the future.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제38권5호
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• pp.398-406
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• 2012

Objectives: In order to investigate the relation between environmental pollution and its effect on human health in large-scale industrial complex regions, monitoring studies have been conducted since 2003. The main purpose of this Gangneung study is to produce background data which can be compared with several large-scale industrial complex regions such as Ulsan, Sihwa, Banwol, Gwangyang, Yeosu, Pohang and Cheongju Daesan industrial complexes. Methods: In this Gangneung study, 1,007 local residents were recruited and the framework of this study was designed to evaluate and monitor health effects associated with low-level but long-term exposure to environmental pollutants. A survey was performed based on personal questionnaires, medical check-ups, and allergy skin prick tests for twelve common allergens. The authors reviewed the prevalence rate of skin allergens in Gangneung compared with in large-scale industrial areas. The results are summarized as follows. Results: The diagnosis prevalence and medical treatment prevalence of asthma were lower than in industrial complex regions, but allergic rhinitis was higher. The allergy skin test prevalence was 26.0% and the most common allergens were dust mites (D. pteronysinus 16.7% and D. farinae 16.3%). Conclusions: The positive findings of the skin prick test were similar with large-scale industrial complex regions in Korea. Further study is required to find the cause of the regional differences in skin prick prevalence.

• Journal of Rhinology
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.91-98
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• 2018

Background and Objectives: The present study evaluated the results of skin prick test using 55 allergens at 20 centers in the Republic of Korea in 2006, 2010, and 2014-2015. The aim was to assess changes in the positive rate of allergens according to temporal, regional, and environmental factors. Materials and Method: In total, 20 hospitals were selected based on the population distribution in the Republic of Korea. A skin prick test panel comprising 55 aeroallergens was distributed to 18 hospitals for this prospective study. The 2006 and 2010 skin prick test results were collected and analyzed retrospectively from 20 hospitals, while the 2014/2015 skin prick test results (from June 2014 to May 2015) were collected prospectively from 18 hospitals. Results: A total of 14,897 SPT test results were analyzed: 4,319 in 2006, 7,431 in 2010, and 1,852 in 2014/2015. The overall rate of skin prick test positivity to more than two allergens was significantly higher in males than females. The positive rates of alder pollens and birch, oak and ragweed pollen positivity were increased in older patients. Several positive rates were increased according to the temperature in spring. The positive rates for beech pollen, birch pollen, hazel pollen, oak pollen, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, mugwort, cat, Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor and Tyrophagus putrescentiae were significantly increased, while those of Cult rye pollen and dandelion were significantly decreased over the three test periods. The overall positive rate for allergens in Jeju province varied significantly from Seoul and other cities. Conclusion: Change in the positive rate of multiple aeroallergens was evaluated in the Republic of Korea over time. Our findings can be used to recommend aeroallergens suitable for inclusion in skin prick test panels in the Republic of Korea and will facilitate further investigation of changes in the patterns of allergic diseases.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제34권5호
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• pp.369-373
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• 2008

The indoor environment is an important source of exposure to various aeroallergens and pathogenic microorganism. It has been shown that exposure to aeroallergens enhances the risk of indoor inhabitants developing asthma. Since the skin prick test, a typical clinical method for identification of subjects positive to allergens, can rarely cause fatal or non-fatal reactions in susceptible persons, an in vitro assay such as ELISA using serum has been considered for testing positivity against various allergens. We evaluated the validity of a serum ELISA kit for screening positive subjects to major aeroallergens including Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, cockroach, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, dog hair, cat fur, mugwort, and ragweed. The ELISA results were compared with the skin prick test results, and sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy were calculated to each allergen. Higher sensitivities were obtained from D. farinae, (77.8%) and D. pteronyssinus (69.2%), but sensitivities to Aspergillus, Penicillium, dog hair, cat fur, and ragweed were very low down to 0%. Specificity ranged from 88.7% (cat fur) to 100% (mugwort and ragweed). Overall the accuracy of the serum ELISA kit was relatively high, in that the lowest was 85.1% for cat fur and the highest was 98.6% for Alternaria, Cladosporium, and ragweed. Considering specificity and overall accuracy for the serum ELISA kit, it may be considered reliable. However, when the kit is used for screening purpose, positivity to aeroallergens should be carefully determined since sensitivity for the kit is low.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제40권5호
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• pp.367-375
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• 2014

Objectives: The main purpose of this study is to produce background data which can be compared with several large-scale industrial complex regions. Methods: The framework of this study was designed to evaluate and monitor health effects associated with low-level and long-term exposure to environmental pollutants. In this study, 1,009 local residents were recruited in the city of Chungju using personal questionnaires, medical check-ups, and allergen skin-prick tests for 12 common allergens. The prevalence rate of skin allergens was reviewed together with that from large-scale industrial areas. Results: The diagnosis prevalence and medical treatment prevalence of asthma was 5.6% and 1.7%, respectively. Allergic rhinitis was 25.4% and 16.7%, allergic dermatitis was 16.6% and 9.9% and allergic conjunctivitis was 18.7% and 7.9%, respectively. These results were similar with those of industrial complexes. The prevalence of allergen skin-prick test was 16.4% and the most common allergen was dust mites (27.9-31.6%). This result was lower than those of the industrial complexes (22.5-39.9%) and Gangneung (18.2-24.7%). Conclusion: Further study is required to find the cause of the regional differences in skin prick prevalence.

• 농촌의학ㆍ지역보건
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.240-249
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• 2015

농업인에서 알레르기 질환의 원인이 되는 물질을 찾아내기 위하여 경기도의 일부 농업인 939명을 대상으로 설문 조사와 15가지 흡입 알레르겐들을 사용한 피부 단자 검사 결과를 수행하였다. 하나 이상의 알레르겐에 반응을 보인 감작률은 18.6%였으며 성별 간의 유의미한 차이는 없었다. 주요한 알레르겐으로는 집먼지 진드기, 바퀴벌레, 잔디 꽃가루 혼합물 등으로 나타났으며 화훼 농업과 과수 농업에서 그 오즈비가 높았다. 화훼 재배자의 경우 잔디 꽃가루 감작률이 다른 작목 재배자들에 비해 통계적으로 유의하게 높았다. 비록 농업인들에서도 직업적 요인보다 일반 환경과 관련된 알레르겐에 의한 감작률이 높은 것으로 나타났지만 교차 반응의 가능성을 고려할 때 직업적인 위험도 완전히 배제할 수 없다. 농업인의 건강 증진을 위해 앞으로도 보다 많은 관심과 연구가 필요할 것으로 생각된다.