Pathology and microbiology tests directory

Additional information

It is important to note that the presence of specific IgE does not make a diagnosis of ‘Allergy’ and negative tests do not necessarily exclude ‘Allergy’. Individuals may have positive specific IgE to common food and environmental proteins (allergens) but may be asymptomatic on exposure i.e. they are not clinically allergic. Conversely, specific IgE may be negative for some allergens (particularly fruits, vegetables, latex, drugs) in the presence of clinical symptoms on exposure. Thus, wherever possible, one should test for the specific suspected allergen based on the clinical features and the temporal relationship with the putative allergen exposure. Resist the temptation to test for IgE to multitudes of allergens without clear evidence of clinical significance. Symptoms occurring more than 2 hours after exposure are unlikely to represent immediate hypersensitivity. Do not request allergy tests where the clinical features are not consistent with IgE-mediated disease e.g. migraine, fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, arthralgia. Allergy is rarely a cause of chronic urticaria. Where there is a clinical diagnosis of chronic allergic disease but the allergen is unclear then patient diaries should be used to determine the appropriate allergens to request. Reflex testing will increase the turnaround time by another seven days. Please specify which allergens required and provide as much information as possible when requesting Specific IgE tests.