The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has several suggestions on allergies.
? It is not recommended to check the allergen IgE index without a history of allergic reaction to certain suspicious foods.
? Routine examination of chronic urticaria is not recommended.
? It is not recommended to open allergy tests without medical basis, such as allergen IgG test, nor to open screening allergen IgE group test without medical history inquiry.
How to see a doctor correctly and detect allergens are explained here respectively.
? It is not recommended to check the allergen IgE index without a history of allergic reaction to certain suspicious foods.
The most common misconception of the general public is that people with unexplained skin allergies can know what food allergies are just by drawing blood, and then avoid that kind of food to stop allergies. But allergic reactions are not necessarily induced by specific allergens. The general allergen test only includes more than 30 items, and it is impossible to include all the foods in the world. In addition, there are some physical urticaria, the diagnosis mainly depends on consultation, such as cold, heat, touch pressure, vibration, water and sweat can be induced, and blood can not be drawn. The characteristics of allergen detection are not suitable for screening, but only for identifying possible allergens.
Generally speaking, allergies to food or drugs will manifest as numbness in the mouth, sore throat, asthma or rash within 30 minutes to two hours after eating. If the pattern of the attack is very definite, the diagnosis can be made only by the medical history, and there is no need to detect allergens. Therefore, allergen detection is only suitable for improving the diagnostic certainty of suspected food allergy. The health insurance for children with atopic dermatitis under five years old is tested for allergens, mainly because communication between pediatric patients is relatively difficult, so blood tests are used as an aid. Allergen testing is not suitable for adults.
? Routine examination of chronic urticaria is not recommended.
The definition of chronic urticaria is that urticaria lasts for more than six weeks, and the rash on the body has a floating area that itches like a mosquito bite. Very few cases of chronic urticaria may be caused by healthy foods or drugs you eat every day, which makes the diagnosis difficult, but most of them are not caused by specific foods. Sometimes it is reported in newspapers and magazines that only after skin itching and blood drawing can the abnormal function of liver and kidney be found. This situation is rare. This is usually not the case if adults over the age of 40 have a physical examination.
In order to reassure everyone, the Immunorheumatology Department sometimes checks the blood cell classification of chronic urticaria to see if there is an abnormal increase in eosinophils related to allergies. It depends on whether there is any abnormality in liver and kidney function, so that patients can rest assured. As for allergen testing, only when a specific allergen is highly suspected will patients be examined. In addition, in some special circumstances, such as a few hyperthyroidism patients will also be complicated with intractable urticaria. If they encounter allergic patients with rapid heartbeat, they will be screened for thyroid function. Such urticaria will be better except for general antihistamines and hyperthyroidism drugs.
Patients often ask, if there is chronic allergy, does it mean poor immunity? Accurately speaking, allergy is an immune response that causes discomfort and seems meaningless, but having allergies usually does not affect the resistance to pathogenic bacteria, so as long as you are assured of the treatment of allergic symptoms. The immune system is very complex, and no single corresponding test can directly reflect it. But as long as there are inquiries and basic tests for treating allergies in clinic, they can be handled.
? It is not recommended to open allergy tests without medical basis, such as allergen IgG test, nor to open screening allergen IgE group test without medical history inquiry.
The IgG detection of allergens is often labeled as chronic allergen detection, which is unfounded and will only add trouble, because food IgG antibodies in human blood are usually not related to allergies. In addition, for the IgE detection of food, a comprehensive screening of non-specific suspected allergens often results in that if the blood is abnormal, you may not be able to eat, but if the blood is not abnormal, you may not be able to eat. Excessive sensitivity but inaccurate detection will bring the shadow of eating in the future. The principle behind allergen detection is conditional probability, which is not as intuitive as hypertension blood pressure or diabetes blood sugar measurement, so we must be careful when interpreting it.