Abstract
Background: Nasal allergen challenge (NAC) is the gold standard
for confirming allergen reactivity in allergic rhinitis (AR), especially
in complex cases. However, its application is limited due to a lack of
standard procedure. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology (EAACI) issued guidelines in 2018 to standardize NAC
procedure. This study aims to validate the EAACI diagnostic criteria.
Methods: 120 adult participants were recruited: 40 with house
dust mite-induced AR, 40 with non-allergic rhinitis (NAR), and 40
healthy controls (HC). NAC was performed, and symptoms were evaluated
using subjective scales (Total Nasal Symptom Score [TNSS], Linder,
Lebel, and Visual Analog score [VAS]) and objective measures (Active
Anterior rhinomanometry [AAR], Acoustic Rhinometry [AcRh], and
Four-Phase Rhinomanometry[4PR]). A positive NAC diagnosis was
defined per EAACI criteria: either a single clearly positive objective
or subjective result, or moderate positive findings in one objective and
one subjective criterion. Results: NAC sensitivity ranged from
77.5% to 100%; specificity was slightly lower (61.3% to 93.8%).
False positives in the HC group were mainly due to clearly positive
objective assessments. In the NAR group, false positives resulted from
either clearly positive objective changes or concurrent moderate changes
in both objective and subjective assessments. Subjective parameters
showed higher diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve [AUC]
0.9933–1) compared to objective parameters (AUC 0.7229–0.864).
Conclusion: The sensitivity of the EAACI criteria was generally
high, albeit with somewhat lower specificity. Relying solely on clearly
positive objective parameters or moderate concurrent changes in both
objective and subjective measures may lead to false-positive NAC
diagnoses. When subjective measures remain negative at sub-maximal
allergen concentrations, escalating the concentration is recommended.
Among objective assessments, AAR and AcRh are preferred methods.