Therefore people of all ages who present with recurrent or persistent episodes of the following symptoms should be tested for allergy:
- Blocked or running nose
- Nasal catarrh
- Itchy running eyes
- Cough
- Breathing difficulties
- Dry itchy skin
- Diarrhoea
- Stomach pains
Many people grow so accustomed to living with their symptoms that they never even consider seeing a doctor to get a proper diagnosis.
- 1 in 3 infants and young children with eczema has underlying allergy
- 1 in 3 pre-school children with recurrent wheeze/coughing has underlying allergy
- 2 of 3 school children with recurrent wheeze/coughing have underlying allergy
- 7 of 10 children with rhinitis have underlying allergy
- 1 in 5 adults with eczema has underlying allergy
- 6 of 10 adults with seasonal rhinitis have underlying allergy
- 1 in 2 adults with chronic rhinitis or nasal congestion has underlying allergy
Symptoms can have different causes, and therefore require different treatment strategies, therefore an early stage, clear and correct differentiation between allergic and non-allergic causes of symptoms is therefore essential if patients are to be managed effectively and without unnecessary and/or incorrect medication.
A new guideline has been published around food allergy which advises that all children and young people with suspected food allergy should be offered an allergy test such as Specific IgE, ImmunoCAP blood test based on a patient history. To read more about this click here.
All patients with recurrent or persistent ‘allergy-like’ symptoms and/or uncontrolled disease should be investigated with the help of ImmunoCAP Specific IgE blood testing.