Is Food Allergy Test Accurate??

Hi.

I broke out in hives almost 3 weeks ago. I thought it's bedbug first. However, it wasn't after all. (I got a new bed anyway)

Then when I went to see a physician, she took my blood and did a food allergy test. It came out that I am allergic to orange, apple, tomato and more food.

List of the food I am allergic are the food I have been eating almost everyday for 25 years. I don't know the blood test for food allergy is really accurate or not.

In case I am allergic to all of the food in the list, I won't be able to eat them for rest of my life? Or will the allergy go at some point for some people?

Yes, very accurate.

Yes, they are as accurate as they can be.

Yes, blood tests are accurate when it comes to food allergies. My son is allergic to tree nuts and shell fish and at this year's blood test it said that he was no longer allergic to eggs, but because I have seen him break out in hives and gasp for air after taking a bite of an egg, I am still too afraid to let him to the food challenge test on the egg...even though I am happy it showed up negative. Did she give you an epi-pen?...if so, that means you really shouldn't eat those things!

It may be that the food you are eating from a supermarket or regular grocer's have been treated with pesticides and other preservatives. Your other choice would be to get produce from local farmers (farmer's market) or organic from a reliable source (not your supermarket b/c it's not organic, even if it says that it is). Trader Joes' and Whole Food are 2 sources, the latter being more expensive. I would try farmer's food (that have not been grown with pesticides/additives) and see if you get the same results before I cross these foods off the list.

You didn't figure out what caused the hives, I gather... When a reaction is that strong, it's important to find out what the final trigger was. You may have simply had too many antagonists in too great an amount in your system and hit overload. That can happen too.

I wonder if the doctor did any allergy tests for things other than food.
I had lots of proven allergies for years before being tested for foods and finding what foods I was allergic to.

I found I could eat things on the food allergy list, but it was better if I ate less of them, and had them less often. I didn't have any that I had to drop out of my diet 100%. So that's the good news. You CAN outgrow allergies.

In my experience, no food allergy testing is not accurate. I am deathly allergic to all dairy products but it has never showed up on an food allergy blood test. Other items that have showed up as being quite severe I have little or not reaction to.

I have had every allergy test done at least twice and while they seem to remain the same every time they never seem to match. One says I have allergic to dust and crab, the next says I'm allergic to mold, the food allergy test says I'm allergic to rice, onions and peanuts. On doing the in-office "taste test" milk sends me into an anaphlaxic reaction but yet isn't on any of the tests.

When questioned about why, my specialist replied, "Allergies are complex." REALLY????

I would advise you to ask the doctor to allow you to taste the items in her office, one by one in the office (on separate visits) until you find out the extent of the allergy and if that was what caused your initial hives. Then you will have the answers you need.

Allergies can develop of worsen at anytime, so a food you ate for your entire life can suddenly be the cause of your reaction.

There are certain cases where you have allergy for a short period of time.

I had a stomach flu a couple of months ago, and had allergy reactions to seafood, ice cream and even some cakes. For example, I'd eat calamary, and I'd have a rash within minutes. But, years ago, I could eat all the calamaries I want and have no problem with it.

As I found out, my allergy was a result from my weakened immune system. It lasted for a couple of months, but now I'm fine.

I dunno about food allergy test, I've never had them done before. But, if you've had a stomach flu (or something else that's possible for your immune system to drop significantly), then maybe that's the case. If you've been eating oranges, apples, and stuff for more than 25 years and have had no previous allergy attack, maybe your immune system was low.