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Making The Food Allergy Diagnosis

Allergists may run some tests in order to conclude which foods you are allergic to or to rule out other causes of your symptoms. Some individuals suspect what food items they may be allergic to and other individuals are not sure what food items are causing their symptoms. An allergist can help determine if the symptoms are indeed from a food allergen by taking a comprehensive medical history, specifically asking questions about your symptoms and when you notice them, how long you have been having the symptoms, and how long after you ate did you experience the symptoms. The doctor may also ask how much of the food you ate, how often you have experienced the reaction and what if any medication did you take to relieve the symptoms and if the medicine helped. You will also be asked about everything you normally eat, and about your family history as well as questions about your home environment. These questions help your allergist to determine if there are other reasons for your symptoms.

Skin testing may be ordered which is a safe procedure that takes about 20 minutes to perform. It involves mosquito like pricks. There is also an IgE blood test that is more expensive than the skin prick test and the results are usually not available until one to two weeks from the date they are taken.

To confirm the food allergy a food challenge test is usually undertaken. An oral challenge test is done with each suspected food. The individual is asked to eat or drink a small amount of the suspected food and then the amount is gradually increased over a given period of time, under the direction of the allergist. The allergist will be looking for specific allergic reactions to occur and when they do, the allergists will have a clearer picture of your food allergy.

After the physical exam, medical history taking, and tests the allergist may want to further narrow his diagnosis by placing you on a special diet. You may be asked to keep a food diary of all the foods you consume each day as well as all medications that you take. You will also be asked to record any symptoms that you have into this diary. Your allergist can learn a lot from your food allergy diary.

Because the food you are allergic to may also be related to foods that are similar, other foods may be included in what you need to avoid when a food allergy is identified. As an example, an individual that has been tested to be allergic to shrimp may be advised not to eat crab or lobster too. It is not necessary to restrict the individual from eating foods from the entire botanical family based on a food allergy; so, your allergist will advise you of what foods are safe and what foods are not safe for you to eat.