5 tests to detect food allergies

• April 26, 2024

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology of the United States (AAAAI, for its acronym in English), food allergies Most common in the United States are milk, eggs, peanuts, various types of nuts, seafood, wheat and soybeans.

Those of the milk and the egg are the most frequent in children and the majority manage to overcome them (80%), while the reactions by peanuts, nuts and shellfish come to appear throughout life.

In this regard, the AAAAI recently published the first test guidelines designed by allergists and immunologists to diagnose allergies :

1. Patient history. Information is collected from birth to verify that there are no obvious manifestations of any food.

2. Puncture of the skin. Most common skin test in which skin is scraped or punctured with small amounts of the allergen.

3. Challenge of oral food. The patient is given food in a controlled environment to observe their reactions.

4. Atopic patch. Test in which a sticky patch is stuck to the skin for up to 48 hours to study its effects.

5. Blood test. Identifies the presence of certain allergens in the blood.

According to the doctor Hugh Sampson , professor of Pediatrics in Mount Sinai School of Medicine and member of the Coordinating Committee of the Guidelines, it is important for patients and their families to understand that the proper diagnosis of a food allergy It can help distinguish them from other diseases such as food intolerance and gastrointestinal problems.

In this sense, a recommendation is that from birth a clinical history of each person is taken and oral challenge tests are carried out according to their age.

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Video Medicine: What to Expect: Allergy Skin Testing (April 2024).