Food Allergies- Unraveling the Truth Through Blood Tests

A person's entire life can be turned around due to a simple food allergy as this person now lives a life that is different from his or her counterparts. Allergy to certain kinds of food are due to the presence of certain chemicals in the food. Therefore it comes as no surprise that allergy to certain foods can imply an allergy to certain medications calling for the need to alter the medication.

As a result of all this, there is pressure on the medical professionals to find ways of detecting food allergies much before the reactions start taking place. A number of testing processes are adopted in order to find out whether a particular patient has an allergy to certain types of chemicals. Blood testing is one of these required tests.

Before we go on about blood testing, here is a brief overview on what takes place inside the body that is undergoing an allergic process.

The immune system reacts to allergies in two ways. In the first approach, the body, once the allergens have been detected, starts generating immunoglobulin E or IgE, a type of antibody. Then the IgE is disseminated into the blood stream. The second approach involves mast cells to occur. Usually, mast cells occur in the tissues of the body, especially in allergy sites such as the nasal cavity, the oral cavit y, the throat, lungs, skin and organs belonging to the gastrointestinal system.

In many cases, the capability of producing IgE in order to fight off particular food allergens is inherited. Those people who's blood relations have suffered from eczema, asthma or hay fever are more likely to of being afflicted with a food allergy.

Moreover, a person needs to make contact with the potential source of food allergen in order for his or her body to produce the IgE antibody. When the person is exposed to the particular allergen, the IgE is produced and gets attached to the mast cells. Gradually, this team up will cause many body chemical reactions every time the person eats something that was suspected to cause allergy.

This IgE is an important factor in order to determine, through blood tests. The most frequently used blood tests are the Radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and another test called CAP- RAST, but that is much simpler although more advanced.

When to comes to blood tests, they rank the outcome between one and six, where 6 is the most positive and 1 the least. Blood testing can also be done for people suffering from severe eczema as this kind of testing does not change due to presence of antihistamines.

After the blood samples are drawn, they are sent away for further evaluation to laboratories. Blood tests are not very inexpensive and one cannot expect immediate results when a patient wishes to know whether he or she is allergic to certain kind of food.

The allergy is finally diagnosed when the doctor has diagnosed the presence of IgE in your blood. But there is no way of telling from the blood tests whether the intensity of allergy is connected to the levels of IgE present in the blood. There might even be cases where, although the patient displays signs of food allergy, the results of the tests come negative.

In the event that the blood test fails or does not provide sufficient information, there are other tests that can be utilized in order to determine the cause of the allergy. Such tests include elimination diets, food challenges and skin prick tests.

Furthermore, do not hesitate to ask your medical advisor enough questions regarding your condition.

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