FAQS on when to use Molecular Allergy Diagnosis (MD) in clinical practice

Abstract

In the last decades there has been a great progress in the field of molecular biology allowing the study of the sensitization to individual allergenic components of an allergenic source, a practice that has been termed Molecular Allergy Diagnosis (MD) or Component Resolved Diagnosis (CRD). The purpose of the present review is to offer the clinician a practical approach to the use of MD by answering frequently asked questions among physicians on how MD can help us improve allergy diagnosis in our daily clinical practice. The article is divided in three sections. First, a brief review on the importance for the clinician to know the main allergens of the different allergenic sources, their structure and their in vitro cross-reactivity before approaching MD (section A). Secondly the core of the review on the usefulness of MD in clinical practice (section B) answering FAQS on the subject, and finally a section (C) on the interpretation and integration of MD with the rest of available tools for allergy diagnosis.