PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Hein, Edward W.
TI  - Radioallergosorbent test (RAST)—reliable tool or poor substitute?
DP  - 1983 Sep 21
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - 361--366
VI  - 50
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/50/3/361.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/50/3/361.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med1983 Sep 21; 50
AB  - An in vitro method, the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) has been developed for the detection of allergen-specific antibodies of the IgE class. Review of the literature shows that in comparison to skin testing, the RAST has a high degree of correlation (60% to 90% depending on the antigen); however, this method is not as sensitive as other tests (50% false-negative). The RAST is affected by blocking antibodies (IgG), resulting in false-negative values and high levels of IgE that bind on the allergen discs, giving falsepositive findings. Because of these problems, RAST is somewhat limited for use in the clinical setting.