Unproven Diagnostic Tests for Food Allergy

Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2018 Feb;38(1):153-163. doi: 10.1016/j.iac.2017.09.011.

Abstract

The gold standard for diagnosis of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy remains the oral food challenge, with serum IgE testing and skin prick testing serving as acceptable alternatives. However, the increase in prevalence of food allergy (both physician diagnosed and patient suspected) has led patients to pursue a variety of other alternative diagnostic procedures for suspected food allergy, which are reviewed in this article. These procedures (IgG testing, electrodermal testing, cytotoxic testing, provocation/neutralization, and applied kinesiology) have largely been unproven and may lead to unnecessary elimination diets.

Keywords: Atopy patch test; Cytotoxic; Diagnosis; Electrodermal; Food allergy; IgG testing; Kinesiology; Provocation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Animals
  • Food Hypersensitivity / diagnosis*
  • Galvanic Skin Response
  • Humans
  • Immunization
  • Immunoglobulin E / blood*
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Kinesiology, Applied
  • Skin Tests / methods*

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin E