Allergy Test Extensive

What are allergies?

Allergies occur when the body’s immune system reacts abnormally after being exposed to certain harmless substances that it perceives as a threat. These substances are known as allergens. During this reaction, your immune system releases a number of chemicals to protect the body and prevent the spread of the allergen, causing allergic reaction symptoms. These symptoms can include a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, skin rashes, digestive problems, and in rare cases, life-threatening anaphylactic shock. 

About 25% of the population is affected by allergies, but in many cases they do not even know that they suffer from an allergy. Only an early and accurate allergy diagnosis can help prevent secondary diseases and complications such as allergic asthma by identifying and avoiding appropriate allergens. Allergic reactions can occur in response to a variety of substances, such as food, medications, pollen, dust, or animals. Allergies to substances that are not easily seen in our environment, like pollen or certain trees, can be particularly hard to identify and may be generalised as “hayfever”. However, knowing the specific allergens you are sensitive to can help you avoid exposure and reduce chronic symptoms of allergies. Only a very large test panel makes it possible to precisely narrow down the triggering allergen.

What are IgE antibodies?

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) are antibodies produced by the immune system, usually in response to invaders such as bacteria or viruses. During an allergic reaction, the immune system reacts to non-harmful substances (allergens) by producing IgE antibodies that can bind to a specific allergen. Testing the levels of IgE antibodies in your blood that bind to certain allergens can indicate whether your body has an allergy to that substance. The amount of IgE antibodies in your blood cannot indicate what symptoms will occur in response to an allergen or their severity, but can point to potential allergy triggers that should be investigated further.

This test assesses your IgE reactivity to 295 common allergens using a simple finger-prick blood sample that can be taken from home. The results of this test can be used to make efforts to remove the allergen from your home, diet, and immediate surroundings, as well as guide allergy treatment to alleviate symptoms.

What does the result mean?

The results of this test show whether certain allergens cause an IgE immune reaction, indicating a potential allergy to that item. The results of this test can be discussed with a doctor to make a definitive allergy diagnosis. 

What will the test result look like?

The test result comes in a downloadable laboratory report. The report is divided into three parts:

• The first part of the report includes an overview of all the allergies tested and your individual reactivity level to them. The allergies are grouped by categories, such as pollen, insects, nuts and seeds, and animals. 
• The second part of the report lists all the relevant allergens related to each allergy that your body was reactive to, and your specific reactivity levels for each allergen. For example, for those that demonstrated IgE reactivity to “grass pollen”, the allergy is further broken down into six allergens, showing your individual reactivity to each. This allows you to pinpoint the specific allergens that may be causing your symptoms.
• The third section of the report provides advice regarding the allergens you are reactive to and ways in which to avoid them or reduce your risk of severe allergic reaction. Avoiding allergens is only advised once the allergy is diagnosed by a medical professional. Follow-up testing with an allergist to test if physical symptoms occur is needed to diagnose an allergy.  

View an example of a test result.

Does this test show intolerances?

This test can only measure antibody reactions caused by allergies. Food intolerances can sometimes cause similar symptoms to food allergies, which is why they are often confused. The biggest difference between a food allergy and intolerance, such as the difference between a gluten allergy and gluten intolerance, is that allergies are mediated by the immune system. Food intolerances do not cause any IgE reaction and may be caused by a lack of certain digestive enzymes (such as lactose intolerance), irritable bowel syndrome, or sensitivity to food additives (Li, 2022). Symptoms from food intolerances are often milder than allergies, and in some cases the individual can consume small amounts of the trigger food without a reaction.