Ana o 3 sIgE and diagnostic algorithms reduce overall cost of diagnosis
of cashew allergy in children compared to skin prick test alone: a cost
comparison analysis
Abstract
Background: In the absence of a clear clinical history of
reaction, diagnosis of cashew allergy using skin prick tests (SPT) or
cashew-specific IgE requires a high number of oral food challenges
(OFC). We recently showed that Ana o 3 sIgE alone, or a two-step
diagnostic algorithm using cashew sIgE followed by Ana o 3 sIgE can
reduce need for OFC. We aimed to determine if either of these approaches
can provide a cost reduction to the health system compared to cashew SPT
alone. Methods: Pooled individual level data from 6 studies was
used to determine diagnostic accuracy and OFC rate. Two studies used
cashew SPT (n=567, 198 allergic), with 95% positive and negative
predictive values of ≥12mm and <3mm. Four studies were
included in the pathways for Ana o 3 sIgE alone or a 2-step algorithm
incorporating cashew and Ana o 3 sIgE (n=271, 156 allergic). Cut-offs
used were ≥8.5kUA/L and ≤0.1kUA/L for cashew sIgE and ≥0.35kUA/L and
≤0.1kUA/L for Ana o 3 sIgE. Costs were constructed based on unit prices
from hospital inpatient admissions, expenses incurred by families,
individual patient data on allergic reaction types and rates and
adrenaline autoinjector carriage, applying a health system perspective.
Results: Modelled data through the Ana o 3 pathway resulted in
a 46.43% cost reduction (\euro307,406/1000 patients) compared to
using cashew SPT alone (\euro573,854/1000 patients). The 2-step
algorithm resulted in a 44.94% cost reduction compared to SPT alone
(\euro315,952.82/1000 patients). Both the Ana o 3 pathway and 2-step
algorithm resulted in a 79-80% reduction in OFCs compared to SPT.
Conclusions: Using Ana o 3 as a standalone test for cashew
allergy diagnosis or a 2-step algorithm incorporating cashew sIgE and
Ana o 3 sIgE is accurate and results in a large reduction in both OFCs
and health system costs compared to cashew SPT alone.