Food Allergen Identification

People with food allergies have allergic reactions that result from an exaggerated immune system response to certain kinds of food. Doctors can conduct food allergy tests to identify the allergens that affect a patient.

Symptoms

• According to the Mayo Clinic, if food allergy symptoms occur, including hives, swelling of the throat and breathing problems, then patients should consult a doctor immediately (See Reference 1). Life threatening airway closure and loss of consciousness can also occur in some patients.

Food Diary

• Doctors may ask their patients to keep a food diary that includes detailed daily entries about the foods and medications they consume and along with any resulting symptoms (See Reference 1).

Elimination Diet

• One way to determine if food allergies are a factor is to eliminate suspected foods from a patients diet for one or two weeks and note any changes in symptoms. Then these foods are reintroduced back into the patient's diet and symptoms noted.

Skin Test

• Doctors may place small amounts of suspected foods on a patient's skin and prick the skin with a needle to allow the food to get beneath the skin's surface (See Reference 1). A raised bump on the skin will develop if the patient is allergic to a tested food.

Blood Test

• Blood tests measure immunoglobulin antibodies in the blood that may indicate an immune system response to a food allergen (See Reference 1).