Diagnosing Peanut Allergy: Tests and How to Understand the Results
Test results need to be understood alongside real reactions to eating the food. Looking at numbers alone can easily lead to the wrong conclusion.
Common tests
- Skin prick test: quick to do, but you need to stop certain medicines that could affect the result, as instructed
- Specific IgE blood test: a blood sample is taken; it is not affected by skin symptoms or medicines
- Component-resolved testing: tells apart antibodies aimed at different peanut proteins, which can help assess the risk of a reaction and the chance of tolerance
- Food challenge: carried out in hospital following a set procedure; it is an important way to confirm a clinical allergy and must be done by a specialist doctor
How to understand the results
A positive result means sensitisation is present. It does not mean symptoms will definitely happen. The level of the number and how severe a reaction is are also not fully in line with each other. For peanut, because a reaction could be more serious, doctors usually prefer to judge by putting together the medical history, past reactions and test results, and to plan any re-introduction assessment with care.
After you get the report
A doctor should set out what to avoid, nutrition alternatives, emergency preparations and a follow-up plan. Parents are not advised to decide on long-term avoidance or to try introducing peanut based on the numbers alone. They are also not advised to try a "small taste test" at home without professional support.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Please follow your doctor's instructions.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. If your symptoms affect daily life, please see a doctor.