Persistent adult allergies
Allergies to fish and seafood usually persist for life and often first appear in adulthood. The main allergen in fish is parvalbumin, a heat-resistant protein, so heat treatment does not eliminate the reaction; In particularly sensitive people, symptoms may even occur when inhaling fumes from cooking fish. Allergens of crustaceans - tropomyosins - cross-react with allergens of house dust mites and cockroaches, which explains the frequent combination of these types of sensitization. Reactions range from itchy mouth and hives to anaphylaxis. The panel allows you to differentiate between reactions to fish and shellfish and crustaceans - these are different groups of allergens, and it is the culprit that needs to be excluded.
Blood test instead of skin test
Determination of specific IgE in the blood has important advantages over skin tests: it can be carried out during an exacerbation, while taking antihistamines, with severe dermatitis, when the skin is unsuitable for testing, and in young children. There is also no risk of a systemic reaction, since the allergen is not introduced into the body.
The panel format allows you to immediately test a group of related allergens in one blood draw - it is cheaper and more informative than testing each one separately.
How to read the result
- class 0 - no antibodies detected
- class 1 - low level, clinical significance is questionable
- grades 2–3 - moderate level, reaction is likely
- grades 4–6 – high and very high level, reaction is very likely
The main rule of interpretation
The presence of specific IgE means sensitization - the readiness of the immune system to respond, but not the allergy itself. A diagnosis is made only if laboratory data coincide with real symptoms after contact with this allergen. That is why you should not exclude a product from the diet only on the basis of analysis, without clinical manifestations - especially in children.