Table 5.
Sensitivity and specificity of different combinations of diagnostic tests
| Asthma test | Test 1 (%) | Test 2 (%) | Test 3 (%) | Test 4 (%) | Test 5 (%) | Cummulative percent sensitivity | Cummulative percent specificity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Reversibility >12% | 11 | 11 | 93 | ||||
| Strategy 1 | AHR mannitol (PD15) | 32 | 42 | 75 | ||||
| PEF variation >20% | 12 | 54 | 54 | |||||
| AHR methacholine (PD20) | 26 | 80 | 41 | |||||
| Negative results | 20 | – | – | |||||
| Test | Reversibility>12% | 11 | 11 | 93 | ||||
| Strategy 2 | PEF variation>20% | 21 | 32 | 63 | ||||
| AHR mannitol (PD15) | 22 | 54 | 54 | |||||
| AHR methacholine (PD20) | 26 | 80 | 41 | |||||
| Negative results | 20 | – | – | |||||
| Test | Reversibility>12% | 11 | 11 | 93 | ||||
| Strategy 3 | AHR methacholine (PD20) | 46 | 57 | 54 | ||||
| PEF variation>20% | 21 | 78 | 41 | |||||
| AHR mannitol (PD15) | 3 | 80 | 41 | |||||
| Negative results | 20 | – | – | |||||
| Test | Reversibility >12% | 11 | 11 | 93 | ||||
| Strategy 4 | AHR mannitol (PD15) | 32 | 42 | 75 | ||||
| PEF variation >20% | 12 | 54 | 54 | |||||
| AHR methacholine (PD20) | 26 | 80 | 41 | |||||
| Negative results | 20 | – | – | |||||
| Test | AHR to methacholine (PD20) | 65 | 65 | 57 | ||||
| Strategy 5 | PEF variation>20% | 1 | 66 | 42 | ||||
| AHR to mannitol (PD15) | 7 | 73 | 42 | |||||
| Reversibility>12% | 7 | 80 | 40 | |||||
| Negative results | 20 | – | – | |||||
| Test | AHR to mannitol (PD15) | 38 | 38 | 82 | ||||
| Strategy 6 | AHR to methacholine (PD20) | 35 | 73 | 56 | ||||
| PEF variation>20% | 7 | 79 | 43 | |||||
| Reversibility>12% | 1 | 80 | 41 | |||||
| Negative results | 20 | – | – | |||||
| Test | AHR to methacholine (PD20) | 65 | 65 | 57 | ||||
| Strategy 7 | AHR to mannitol (PD15) | 7 | 72 | 56 | ||||
| PEF variation>20% | 7 | 79 | 43 | |||||
| Reversibility>12% | 1 | 80 | 41 | |||||
| Negative results | 20 | – | – |