How do doctors test for food allergies?
The most important aspect of assessing food allergies is the history of what happens after a certain food is eaten.
Skin Prick Test
Doctors will then perform a skin prick test, typically on the forearm or back, using concentrated extracts of the food in question.
We then wait approximately 10 minutes to see if a wheal or hive forms.
A presence of a hive suggests evidence of food allergy.
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The doctor interprets the result of skin testing in the context of the history and then provides guidance on what steps should be taken with specific foods.