Abstract
Background: Prior research suggests that skin prick testing (SPT) might be larger in the afternoon, with unclear clinical significance. Methods: This retrospective chart review analyzed SPT results from patients between June 2008 and June 2017, organized into 4 time groups for analysis (Group 1: 7:00 AM-10:29 AM, Group 2: 10:30 AM-11:59 AM, Group 3: 12:00 PM-2:29 PM, and Group 4: 2:30 PM-8:15 PM). Results: In total, 12,982 (n) patient test results had positive histamine and were included in final analysis. Histamine wheal size was not significantly increased in the PM compared with AM (P = 0.89). Food allergen and aeroallergen wheal sizes were not significantly increased in PM. Histamine erythema size was increased in the PM compared with AM (P ≤ 0.01). Food allergen and aeroallergen erythema sizes trended toward an increase in the PM. Conclusions: There were not significant differences in SPT wheal size based on time of day for histamine, food allergens, or aeroallergens. SPT can be reliably performed at any time of day.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 125-129 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Pediatric, Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2021 |
Funding
E.O. is supported by a National Institute of Health grant T32AI083216, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. This content is solely the responsibilities of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Keywords
- circadian rhythm in allergic disease
- diurnal variation
- pediatrics
- skin prick testing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Immunology and Allergy