Diagnosing a food allergy is best done by visiting a board-certified allergist. In this video, Dr. Katie Marks-Cogan outlines the three methods allergists use to diagnose a potential food allergy in a patient, using multiple data points to find an answer. Once these tests are completed, the allergist will determine the likelihood and severity of the allergy, and what steps the patient can take to address it.
Key Takeaways
- If you think you have a food allergy, see a board certified allergist so they can test and diagnose you.
- There are three main ways an allergist will test for an allergy: a skin prick test, a blood test, and an oral food challenge.
- If you do have a food allergy, an allergist will work with you to come up with the best steps to address it.
Video Transcript
First, if you suspect you have a food allergy, I would definitely recommend seeing a board certified allergist. To diagnose a food allergy, first an allergist reviews the patient's medical history. Based on that history, we can decide to do one of three things: a skin prick test, a blood test, or an oral food challenge. We often do a combination of these three things to get multiple data points to help us find an answer. To do a skin prick test, also known as the scratch test, we prick the common allergenic proteins in a liquid form through the top layer of the patient's skin. If the patient is sensitive to one of the allergens, they'll form a small bump like a mosquito bite. Reacting to a skin prick test means they are sensitized to that protein, but not necessarily allergic. We'll often combine a skin prick test with a blood test that measures allergy antibodies called IgE antibodies to get a better sense of the patient's risk of allergy. The gold standard for diagnosing a food allergy is an oral food challenge, which is where the patient eats a certain food in a very controlled environment with the allergist present. From there, we determine the likelihood and severity of the allergy and what steps to take to address it.
