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Short‐term decrease of skin‐test sensitivity after rush desensitization in Hymenoptera venom hypersensitivity
Author(s) -
TSICOPOULOS ANNE,
TONNEL A. B.,
WALLAERT B.,
RAMON Ph.,
JOSEPH M.,
CAPRON A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1990.tb02686.x
Subject(s) - desensitization (medicine) , venom , medicine , immunoglobulin e , anaphylactic reactions , immunology , allergy , antibody , anesthesia , anaphylaxis , biology , receptor , ecology
Summary Thirty‐seven patients with a history of systemic anaphylactic stings were desensitized by the rush method. Patients were evaluated by skin testing twice, before and 6 weeks after desensitization. An additional control group of 10 patients, not yet desensitized, were tested for skin test technique reproducibility at 6‐week intervals. Results were compared with IgE and IgG antibody levels, and with platelet reactivity towards specific Hymenoptera venom. Before desensitization, the maximum skin‐test sensitivity was observed at 10 −5 μg venom/ml in 56% of patients and decreased to 10 −1 μg venom/ml after desensitization (48·6% of patients). Decrease of cutaneous tests was observed in 28/37 patients (75%) ( P < 0·001) and was not associated with significant variations of specific IgE or IgG antibody levels, but was correlated with the decrease of platelet reactivity ( P < 0·05). Conversely, variations of skin‐test sensitivity in the control group was not significant.