Standardized Allergen Provocation Test

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Abstract
Standardized bronchial allergen provocation with the same individual allergen dose was performed 3–9 times in 20 symptomless adult asthmatic patients at intervals of 1 week or more during 1/222 months in order to study variations in bronchial response. The immediate type reaction was recorded by monitoring FEV1, FVC, PEFR and MEF50% for 30–40 min after provocation. FEV1 was highly significantly correlated to the other variables.The coefficient of variation corresponding to maximum decrease in FEV, was 23%. All provocations were followed by a bronchial reaction within clinically acceptable limits. There was no indication of hypo‐ or hypersensitization.It is concluded that although many different factors influence the bronchial response, careful standardization of the provocation procedure leads to a moderate variation in bronchia! response, making the allergen provocation test suitable for pathophysiological studies and clinical evaluation of anti–asthmatic drugs.