How to Diagnose a Wheat Allergy

A wheat allergy is a condition where the proteins in wheat cause an abnormal immune system reaction in your body. It is a common allergy, especially in children. Fortunately, it can also be treated easily with a combination of wheat avoidance and antihistamines. However, before you can be treated for a wheat allergy, you must be diagnosed with the condition. Diagnosis starts with recognizing if wheat has an abnormal affect on your body.

Instructions

• 1

  Recognize the symptoms of a wheat allergy, including swelling, itching or irritation of the mouth and throat after eating wheat products. You may also experience itchy rashes, hives or skin swelling. Some wheat allergy sufferers have trouble breathing, water eyes or nausea after contact with wheat.

• 2

  Keep a daily food diary if you think that you may be suffering from allergic reactions to wheat. This can help you recognize contributing factors to your symptoms. Write down what you eat each day so that you can track what you ate in the hours before your adverse reactions.

• 3

  See your health care provider. After explaining your symptoms and showing him your food diary, he may ask you to remove wheat products from your diet temporarily to see if any of your allergic reactions go away. If they do, you very likely have a wheat allergy.

• 4

  Have an allergy test done. Your health care provider can perform a diagnostic allergy test if all signs point to a wheat allergy. He can perform a blood test to see if the antibodies to a wheat allergy are present. A more common allergy test is a skin test. Your health care will prick the skin on your forearm and upper back with purified allergen extracts, including wheat allergens. If the area that was exposed to wheat allergens develops redness or itchiness within 15 minutes, most health care providers consider this a definitive diagnosis of a wheat allergy.