Allergies – which can happen when the immune system overacts to many different allergens – can cause a lot of discomfort at any age, and can even bring about serious complications if left untreated. The initiation of the appropriate allergy therapy is always preceded by the establishment of a precise diagnosis, for which the most up-to-date allergy testing methods are available in our private pediatric allergy practice.
Molecular allergy testing
Molecular-analysis-based allergy tests, performed on small amounts of blood, can be applied not only to test the body’s allergic reaction to all allergen proteins, but also to detect the reaction brought about by a specific protein.
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One of the greatest advantages of this so called component-based allergy test is that it is highly accurate, which makes the procedure extremely easy for both the specialist and the patient in the case of severe allergies (food allergies, insect sting allergies, pollen allergies, respiratory allergies etc.), so that the relevant allergy treatment can be initiated in time. Molecular allergy testing is an excellent method to detect the cause of a possible anaphylactic shock, as well as for the proper assessment prior to the immunotherapy of an allergy.
Speaking about childhood allergy, this diagnostic method gives an accurate answer to the child’s chances of outgrowing the existing milk protein, egg or other food allergies, and by a longer-term annual examination, the outgrowing process could be perfectly monitored. Molecular allergy testing – by monitoring the antibody level – can also determine when can dairy products or egg be brought back into the diet of the child for the first time. In patients, suffering from pollen allergy, especially those who are sensitive to a wide variety of grasses, trees or flowers, molecular allergy testing makes the accurate selection of the allergen possible, so that a hyposensitization therapy (treatment that gradually accustoms the patient to the allergens) can be carried out.
For which allergies can the molecular allergy test be used?
The so-called component-based allergen detection method can be applied in case of food and respiratory allergens.
- Based on experience gained the most severe food allergens are nuts, like peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pistachios and Brazil nuts, which can be identified separately by moleculal allergy testing.
- In addition, by using the the ImmunoCAP spec IgE method, the allergenic proteins of almonds, coconuts, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and legumes (like beans, green peas, lentils, chick peas, etc.) can be tested. Regarding the fruits, the allergenic proteins of apples and peaches can be measured by this method.
- Relating to animal proteins, that sometimes cause severe reactions, cow’s milk, egg white, the protein’s components of soybean and wheat, as well as the specific allergenic protein of fish, crustaceans and beef can be tested by molecular method.
- Among the respiratory allergens, the following allergens can also be tested by the component-based method: dust mites, mould, birch tree, wormwood, ragweed and grasses.
- Even after a bee or wasp bite, it is worth asking for an IgE component based test to specify the insect venom.
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How molecular allergy testing works
Molecular allergy testing makes the precise, molecular detection of allergenic proteins possible, which is extraordinarily important if severe allergic reactions or anaphylactic shock occur, as well as when severe food allergy emerges.
- The molecular test called ImmunoCAP is recommended for the cases of already diagnosed or suspected food allergies, in order to determine the severity of the allergy, assess the chances for overgrowing and evaluate the risk of anaphylaxis. It can also be applied in respiratory allergy cases, to determine accurately the allergen before starting an immunotherapy, and to test bee and wasp sting/venom allergies.
- The so-called ALEX test (a simultaneous, microchip-based testing of more than 200 allergens from a small amount of blood) is recommended for complex, multiple food allergies when on the basis of preliminary tests it seems that the patient cannot eat almost anything. In addition, it can be successfully applied for allergic sickness of unknown origin, anaphylactic shocks and hives (urticaria), as well as for complex respiratory allergic cases, where the Prick test and the conventional IgG test show positive results for numerous allergens.
Before the today’s application of molecular allergy tests, in lack of an accurate diagnosis, children who had an allergic reaction for example to peanuts, were previously prohibited from consuming oilseeds for life, even though it was well known that they contain many beneficial nutrients for the body. Owing to the precise results gained after the molecular allergy test, all persons suffering from allergies, inculding children, can be prevented from a lot of unnecessary diets.
At Panoráma Polyclinic, this modern diagnostic method can be used to diagnose for example a peanut allergy with complete certainty, while at the same time the presence of walnut, poppy seed, sesame seed or almond allergies can be excluded, so the child affected by the allergy and his/her family will exactly know what kind of food must be avoided and what can still be incorporated in the diet.
In addition, molecular allergy testing can not only determine exactly which are the triggering allergens for the body’s responses, but also provide a possibilitility for risk assessment: this shows the extent of the danger to the affected persons if they happen to get into contact with an allergen in the future.
This risk assessment is necessary because the proteins that trigger an allergic reaction can be classified in two ways:
- proteins with high risk, triggering severe allergic reactions
- proteins with low risk, triggering mild allergic reactions
With the application of this extremely up-to-date method, the so-called cross allergies, which often appear in the traditional IgE allergy panels, can now be screened.
However, it is important to emphasize that molecular test is never the first test to start with if you have allergic symptoms. Molecular testing can be initiated if the result of the specific IgE test or the result of the Prick test is positive.
