Food-induced contact urticaria syndrome (CUS) in atopic dermatitis: reproducibility of repeated and duplicate testing with a skin provocation test, the skin application food test (SAFT).

IgE-mediated contact urticaria syndrome (CUS) is one of the manifestations of allergy in childhood atopic dermatitis (AD). Allergens such as foods and animal products penetrate the skin easily. They can then cause urticarial reactions in sensitized individuals. A provocation test system for foods, called the skin application food test (SAFT), has been developed. Over more than 5 years, a group of 175 patients with AD was built-up and investigated in a prospective follow-up study with SAFT. SAFT was more frequently positive in AD children aged 0-2 years than in older children. In several children of this population (Group 1), we repeated SAFT within a period of 1 year. In another unrelated group of children (Group 2-1), we compared the results of 'original' SAFT and SAFT using square chambers (Van der Bend) or Silver patches. In the 3rd group (Group 2-2) we compared 'original' SAFT with SAFT using big Finn Chambers. The agreement between the tests was high: in Group 1, we observed 88 to 93% concordant scores, and in Group 2, the scores were 96% to 100%. Statistically, the kappa coefficient ranged from 0.71-0.87 in Group 1, and from 0.83-1.00 in Group 2. SAFT is therefore highly reproducible. Agreement was at least > or = 88% between the scores (the lowest kappa value observed was at least 0.71).