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Food allergy is principally diagnosed by careful history and examination. When reactions occur immediately after certain food ingestion then diagnosis is straight forward and can be documented by using carefully performed tests such as the skin prick test and the radioallergosorbent test RAST to detect specific IgE antibodies to specific food proteins and aero-allergens.
Allergy testing can help confirm or rule out allergies and consequently reduce adverse reactions and limit unnecessary avoidance and medications. [1] [2]Correct allergy diagnosis, counseling and avoidance advice based on valid allergy test results is of utmost importance and can help reduce the incidence of symptoms, and the need for medications and improve quality of life. [2]
Getting on the right allergy medication can only get you so far when it comes to management of your symptoms, says Tiffany J. Owens, M.D., an allergist/immunologist at The Ohio State University ...
Bassett first recommends visiting an allergist for in-office testing, which can help identify your triggers. “[This allows] a more tailored treatment for an allergy sufferer,” explains Dr ...
In the United States, food allergy affects as many as 5% of infants less than three years of age [103] and 3% to 4% of adults. [104] [105] The prevalence of food allergies is rising. [106] [107] [108] Food allergies cause roughly 30,000 emergency room visits and 150 deaths per year. [109]
Food intolerance is a detrimental reaction, often delayed, to a food, beverage, food additive, or compound found in foods that produces symptoms in one or more body organs and systems, but generally refers to reactions other than food allergy. Food hypersensitivity is used to refer broadly to both food intolerances and food allergies.
Adults and children of any age can get an allergy blood test. For babies and very young children, a single needle stick for allergy blood testing is often gentler than several skin pricks. An allergy blood test is available through most laboratories. A sample of the patient's blood is sent to a laboratory for analysis, and the results are sent ...
Another laboratory test is the blood test for IgE (immunoglobulin production), such as the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) or the more recent enzyme allergosorbent tests (EAST), implemented to detect high levels of allergen-specific IgE in response to particular allergens. Although blood tests are less accurate than the skin tests, they can be ...