0000000000486083
AUTHOR
Gaia La Porta
Assessment of a qualitative serological assay to screen for allergic sensitization in elderly subjects
We used a commercially available specific IgE qualitative serological assay to screen for allergic sensitization. Two hundred twenty-eight elderly subjects took part in the study. Skin-prick tests (SPTs) to a panel of relevant aeroallergens present in the study area were used as the diagnostic reference procedure (gold standard). Subjects with at least one positive SPT (≥3 mml n = 76) were considered to have developed an allergic sensitization. The qualitative assay correctly classified subjects as sensitized to an allergen or not sensitized in 257 of 288 cases (accuracy, 88.9%; 95% CI, 85.0-92.0%). The qualitative assay sensitivity was 70.0 (95% CI, 58.1-79.7) and specificity was 95.7 (95%…
Comparison between statistical and fuzzy approaches for improving diagnostic decision making in patients with chronic nasal symptoms
This paper compares a fuzzy model, expressed in rule-form, with a well known statistical approach (i.e. logistic regression model) for diagnostic decision making in patients with chronic nasal symptoms. The analyses were carried out using a database obtained from a questionnaire administered to 1359 patients with nasal symptoms containing personal data, clinical data and skin prick test (SPT) results. Both the fuzzy model and the logistic regression model developed were validated using a data set obtained from another medical institution. The accuracy of the two models in identifying patients with positive or negative SPT was similar. This study is a preliminary step to the creation of a so…