Résumé
Skin tests have been the primary tool for investigation in allergy (both at an individual and at a population-based level) since their introduction, more than a century and a half ago. They are easy to perform and generally safe, but their interpretation depends on external and patient-related factors that must all be taken into account to ensure their clinical relevance. A major challenge of practitioners working in the allergy field is to create awareness, especially among primary care physicians, of the value of skin tests. Performing skin tests enables the clinician to confirm or refute sensitization and atopy, which has important prognostic implications for development of comorbid diseases such as asthma. After allergic sensitization and relevant diseases have been established, proper education regarding allergen avoidance and the prescribing of appropriate medical therapy (including allergen immunotherapy) can be safely and appropriately instituted. In addition to their diagnostic value, skin tests are used in the standardization of allergen extracts and in pharmacologic, allergen immunotherapy, and epidemiologic studies.