Allergies
Immunocap blood test. Both tests measure antibodies to the food in question. Testing along with the history can confirm a food allergy, but testing alone does not diag- nose a food allergy. A large reaction on skin testing or a high blood IgE result is suggestive of a reaction occurring, but will not identify the severity of the reaction. It’s highly recommended to only test for the food(s) in question. Screening panels are not recommended, as they tend to provide a lot of false positives. Avoiding foods unnecessarily can lead to malnutrition and poor growth. Typically, the first question asked after a food allergy diagnosis is, “Will my child outgrow his allergy?” The probability of outgrowing a food allergy is better for milk, egg, wheat and soy, with about 85 percent of children outgrowing these allergies. However, fish, peanuts and tree nuts tend to be lifelong allergies, with only about 20 percent of children outgrowing
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them. A study published in Annals of Al- lergy, Asthma and Immunology in July 2013 found that the following factors contrib- uted to outgrowing an allergy: a history of only one food allergy, a mild-to-moderate reaction to an allergen and having eczema as the only symptom. Conversely, children with multiple food allergies and anaphy- laxis to their allergen were less likely to outgrow their food allergy. Currently, there is no cure for food al-
lergies. Therefore, after a diagnosis, strict avoidance of the food is recommended. Your provider will likely prescribe an injectable epinephrine device to carry in case of an emergency. Prescribed as a two-pack, it’s very important to always carry them together and not separate them, as 20 percent of individuals with a food allergy will need both doses. A second dose of epinephrine can
be given ten minutes after the first dose if symptoms do not improve or if they
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