Diagnostic tests for food allergy. 2010

I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
Department of Paediatrics, National University Hospital, and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074.

The diagnosis of food allergy is still based primarily on a detailed medical history and comprehensive physical examination. Clinical or laboratory tests only serve as an add-on tool to confirm the diagnosis. The standard techniques include skin prick testing and in-vitro testing for specific IgE-antibodies, and oral food challenges. Properly done, oral food challenges continue to be the gold standard in the diagnostic workup. Recently, unconventional diagnostic methods are increasingly used. These include food specific IgG, antigen leucocyte antibody and sublingual/intradermal provocation tests, as well as cytotoxic food and applied kinesiology and electrodermal testings. These lack scientific rationale, standardisation and reproducibility. There have been no well-designed studies to support these tests, and in fact, several authors have disproved their utility. These tests, therefore, should not be advocated in the evaluation of patients with suspected food allergy because the results do not correlate with clinical allergy and may lead to misleading advice and treatment.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007073 Immunoglobulin E An immunoglobulin associated with MAST CELLS. Overexpression has been associated with allergic hypersensitivity (HYPERSENSITIVITY, IMMEDIATE). IgE
D007428 Intradermal Tests Skin tests in which the sensitizer is injected. Passive Transfer Test,Prausnitz-Kustner Test,Intradermal Test,Passive Transfer Tests,Prausnitz Kustner Test,Test, Intradermal,Test, Passive Transfer,Test, Prausnitz-Kustner,Tests, Intradermal,Tests, Passive Transfer
D005512 Food Hypersensitivity Gastrointestinal disturbances, skin eruptions, or shock due to allergic reactions to allergens in food. Allergy, Food,Food Allergy,Hypersensitivity, Food,Allergies, Food,Food Allergies,Food Hypersensitivities,Hypersensitivities, Food
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012680 Sensitivity and Specificity Binary classification measures to assess test results. Sensitivity or recall rate is the proportion of true positives. Specificity is the probability of correctly determining the absence of a condition. (From Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed) Specificity,Sensitivity,Specificity and Sensitivity

Related Publications

I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
January 1988, Clinical reviews in allergy,
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
February 2018, Immunology and allergy clinics of North America,
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
April 2019, Revista chilena de pediatria,
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
June 2019, Revista medica de Chile,
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
March 2004, Methods (San Diego, Calif.),
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
January 1996, Allergologia et immunopathologia,
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
October 1967, Maroc medical,
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
November 1991, Lancet (London, England),
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
November 1998, Allergy,
I F Gerez, and L P C Shek, and H H Chng, and B W Lee
September 1996, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology,
Copied contents to your clipboard!