New tools are available to allergists in the diagnosis of food allergies.
Yes, it still involves a blood test, but results allow for diagnosis at the molecular level.
Allergists will be able to identify precisely those patients in danger of severe allergic reaction to allergens such as peanut, wheat, or egg and many others. The exciting news is that personalized allergy management plans can be created with this information. The plan will be uniquely specific to each person.
I think this new technology will become extremely important as it will give families, doctors and food allergic patients a specific profile of their reactivity. Right now, we receive a bunch of confusing numbers and statements. To know your child is "higher than 100 for milk" or is "really allergic to peanuts, but not as allergic to tree nuts" is difficult information to use. This new technology will help everyone know more precisely how allergic the individual is.
Check out the full press release for more information.
As the search goes on for a food allergy cure, at least we're coming up with better tools for diagnosis.
2 comments:
I think you are misunderstanding what the test is measuring. It is not quantifiable, like a RAST test. It will only tell you a range of recognition from low to high. That is not really useful. The potential in the test is that it does look at food specific epitopes, but until you can quantify that, there is no utility. I would not use this to guide any managment either, and I would be wary of anyone who would. It will not, however, as you say, "help everyone know more precisely how allergic the individual is" until it can tell you exactly how many ku/l of the item is present. And even then, a blood test is still the least preferred way to make the diagnosis. This can eventually help determine who would be better served by a food challenge, but I think you are reading way too much into this press release.
Thanks for your comments, Annonymous! I re-read the press release and still feel hopeful about these new tools.
The information says, "With Immuno Solid-phase Allergy Chip, allergists can identify precisely those patients in danger of severe allergic reaction to allergens such as peanut, wheat, or egg and many others."
That's helpful information to me. To know that my child is allergic to, but won't have an anaphylactic reaction to a particular food is information I want. He still carries an Epi-Pen, but it helps me with my risk assessment of a situation.
The "ImmunoCAP HR" cited in the story also seems to give better information about sensitivity. Information I want.
You're right, blood testing is not desirable for allergy diagnosis. I am just glad to see that there is on-going research into giving people better and more helpful information related to their food allergies.
The post I really want to write is, "Finally, a Cure!". Soon, I hope...
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