Managing a food allergy without knowing the exact triggers can impact everything from your diet to your social life. Fortunately, professional food allergy testing can eliminate any uncertainty, helping your allergist make a precise diagnosis. After receiving test results from your North Texas allergist, you can make confident decisions about your diet and lifestyle. Let’s examine the main food allergy testing procedures used in diagnosing an allergy.
The Best Food Allergy Tests for Diagnosing Your Allergy
The most common food allergy tests – skin prick and blood testing – are quick and comfortable options for adults and children experiencing allergy symptoms.
Skin Prick Testing
If you’re allergic to a type of food, the immune system will see the allergen as a threat and release histamines and other chemicals. Skin prick testing is a fast procedure to help patients identify if they have a food allergy. The testing process involves placing various allergens on the forearm before gently scratching the skin, allowing the allergens to reach the cells beneath the surface. If allergic to a substance, it triggers a reaction that results in redness or a raised bump.
Benefits of Skin Prick Testing
Skin prick testing is actually the most common food allergy test, primarily due to the rapid results, and the ability to test for multiple allergens at once. This safe process is conducted under medical supervision and can provide results within 15–30 minutes.
Blood Testing
Blood testing is often used when patients have skin conditions, or have severe allergies that could make skin prick testing impractical. Allergy blood testing measures specific antibodies (IgE) in the blood that react to certain foods. During a visit to your allergist’s office, blood is drawn and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The lab measures a patient’s IgE antibody levels, with higher amounts indicating an allergy to specific foods.
Benefits of Blood Testing
Blood testing is helpful for many people, as direct contact with allergens is simply avoided altogether. Obviously, those with severe allergies benefit greatly when the risk of a reaction is eliminated. Also, the IgE data that is returned also helps allergists determine the severity of the allergy.
Additional Testing Factors Used to Diagnose a Food Allergy
Results from a food allergy test are viewed in combination with an evaluation of symptoms and medical history. Keeping a record of allergy symptoms, the timing after exposure, the types of food being eaten (and so on) can absolutely help with a diagnosis. Additionally, considering a person’s medical history (including any family history of allergies) will enable your allergist to develop a comprehensive food allergy management plan.
Expert Food Allergy Testing in North Texas
If you experience a reaction after eating peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, fish, shellfish and other foods, contact TexasAllergyMD for comprehensive food allergy testing. We diagnose and treat food allergies at our allergy treatment centers in McKinney/Prosper and Southlake. Contact us at (469) 375-1525 or request an appointment today.
