University of Melbourne Reports Findings in Allergies (Ana o 3 sIgE and diagnostic algorithms reduce cost of cashew allergy diagnosis in children compared with skin prick test: A cost comparison analysis): Immune System Diseases and Conditions – Allergies

2022 SEP 07 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Immune System Diseases and Conditions - Allergies is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating in Victoria, Australia, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “In the absence of a clear clinical history of reaction, diagnosis of cashew allergy using skin prick tests (SPT) or cashew-specific IgE requires a high number of oral food challenges (OFC). By using Ana o 3 sIgE alone, or a two-step diagnostic algorithm using cashew sIgE followed by Ana o 3 sIgE, there is a reduced need for OFC.”

Financial supporters for this research include Centre for Food and Allergy Research, National Health and Medical Research Council.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Melbourne, “We aimed to perform a cost comparison for both of these approaches compared with cashew SPT alone. Pooled individual-level data from 6 studies were used to determine diagnostic accuracy and OFC rate. Two studies used cashew SPT (n = 567, 198 allergic), with 95% positive and negative predictive values of 12 mm and <3 mm. Four studies were included in the pathways for Ana o 3 sIgE alone or a 2-step algorithm incorporating cashew and Ana o 3 sIgE (n = 271, 156 allergic). Cut-offs used were 8.5kUA/L and 0.1kUA/L for cashew sIgE and 0.35kUA/L and 0.1kUA/L for Ana o 3 sIgE. Costs were constructed based on unit prices from hospital inpatient admissions, expenses incurred by families, individual patient data on allergic reaction types and rates, and adrenaline autoinjector carriage, applying a health system perspective. Modeled data through the Ana o 3 pathway resulted in a 46.43% cost reduction (€307,406/1000 patients) compared with using cashew SPT alone (€573,854/1000 patients). The 2-step algorithm resulted in a 44.94% cost reduction compared with SPT alone (€315,952.82/1000 patients). Both the Ana o 3 pathway and 2-step algorithm resulted in a 79%-80% reduction in OFCs compared with SPT.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Using Ana o 3 as a standalone test for cashew allergy diagnosis or a 2-step algorithm incorporating cashew sIgE and Ana o 3 sIgE is accurate and results in a large reduction in both OFCs and health system costs compared with cashew SPT alone.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Ana o 3 sIgE and diagnostic algorithms reduce cost of cashew allergy diagnosis in children compared with skin prick test: A cost comparison analysis. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 2022;33(8). Pediatric Allergy and Immunology can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Pediatric Allergy and Immunology - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1399-3038)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Kim Dalziel, Health Economics Unit, Center for Health Policy, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Additional authors for this research include Tim Brettig, Jennifer J. Koplin, Thanh Dang, Lars Lange, Vicki McWilliam, Sakura Sato, Savvas Savvatianos and Kirsten P. Perrett.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.13839. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher of the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)