PRESS RELEASE - 12 FEBRUARY 2001
Vega (alternative) allergy tests - proven to be unreliable in study published recently in the British Medical Journal (BMJ)
Unconventional allergy tests such as electrodermal (Vega) testing are used widely in complementary and alternative medicine. The Vega test is based on the observation that small changes in electrical impedance (obstruction) in the skin occur on an acupuncture point in response to substances placed in an electrical circuit. Until now there have been no published, controlled trials to validate and support the use of this test.
However, a controlled study comparing Vega testing with the gold standard for allergy testing, the Skin Prick Test, has recently been published in the British Medical Journal - BMJ 2001;322:131-134 (20 Jan). The authors of the study are Lewith GT, Kenyon JN, Broomfield J, Prescott P, Goddard J and Holgate ST. Professor Stephen T Holgate is regarded as a world leading authority on allergic disease.
This study involved a total of 1596 tests on 30 subjects, 15 of whom were confirmed to be atopic (allergic) and 15 were non-atopic. The allergens evaluated were house dust mite and cat dander, which are two of the most common environmental allergens.
Results showed that the Vega test results did not correlate with those of the Skin Prick Tests. Vega testing could not distinguish between atopic and non-atopic participants. No operator of the Vegatest device was better than any other and no single participant's atopic status was consistently correctly diagnosed using Vega testing.
The authors concluded that electrodermal (Vega) testing cannot be used to diagnose environmental allergies.
These findings are consistent with a position statement published in the Medical Journal of Australia
(MJA 1999; 155:113-114) http://www.mja.com.au/public/guides/vega/vega.html
by the Australian College of Allergy (now the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology or ASCIA) which summarised that:
1. Vega testing (Vega test method) is without scientific basis in the diagnosis of allergy.
2. The use of Vega testing may lead to inappropriate treatment and expense to the patient and community.
To view this paper in the BMJ re alternative testing articles (Vega testing)
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/322/7279/0/b as well as the main article
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/322/7279/131?lookupType=volpage&vol=322&
fp=131&view=short
If you would like further information on allergy testing methods, including the Skin Prick Test, refer to the AER information bulletin "What is causing your allergy", available on the website of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).
If you would like to contact an allergist or clinical immunologist for expert comment on this published study, contact:
Jill Smith - Ascia Education Project Officer
PO Box 450 Balgowlah NSW 2093
Ph: 02 9949 4663 or 0412 141358 Fax: 02 9907 9773
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