Ask the allergist is a regular feature in our newsletters where Canadian allergists answer your questions! Please note, the allergists featured in this series answer questions on general topics, please talk to your doctor if you have questions about your own health or the health of your child.
This month, we asked Dr. Julia Upton a question about the severity of food allergy.
Can food allergy testing identify how severe your food allergy is?
Currently we are limited in how well we can predict severity. There is some evidence that a reaction to a particular food tends to be similar after a similar exposure. Even so, a person’s reaction to one food may be similar over time, but this will not predict their reaction to a very different amount of that food or another food to which they are allergic.
A reaction can also be modified by whether a person is sick, or their asthma is uncontrolled, or they had the food on an empty or full stomach and many other things we call “co-factors.” Lab tests have been inconsistent in their ability to predict the severity or the amount that will cause a reaction. Severity prediction is an area of great interest to help give more tailored advice to people with food allergy.
In the meantime, it’s important to be ready for a potential reaction by being familiar with the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, carrying an epinephrine auto-injector, and using it if an anaphylactic reaction is suspected.
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Dr. Julia Upton is on staff at the Hospital for Sick Children in the Immunology and Allergy Department; and an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. She is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and is a member of our Healthcare Advisory Board.
Please note: Dr. Upton is answering as an individual allergist and her answers do not constitute an official position of her affiliated organizations. Her responses are for informational purposes only and do not constitute specific medical advice, recommendations, diagnosis, or treatment. Please talk to your doctor about any concerns or questions you may have regarding your own health or the health of your child.
Do you have a food allergy-related question you’d like to ask an allergist? If so, send it along to us at info@foodallergycanada.ca.
Tags: ask the allergist, severity