HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS CME ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Versión de esta artículo en PDF Take the CME quiz: Vol. 27 No. 4, April 2006 Rapid Responses: Submit a response Rapid Responses: View responses Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cartwright, R. C. Articles by Dolen, W. K. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Cartwright, R. C. Articles by Dolen, W. K. Related Collections Allergy and Related Disorders

(Pediatrics in Review. 2006;27:140-146.)
© 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics

Consultation with the Specialist

Who Needs Allergy Testing and How to Get It Done

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

	Objectives

 
After completing this article, readers should be able to:

1. Understand the indications for immunoglobulin E allergy testing in patients who have allergic disorders.
   
2. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of different allergy tests.
   
3. Recognize factors that can influence allergy test results.
   

	Case Studies

 
     Patient 1
A 15-year-old girl whom you have been following since birth is rushed to the local emergency department (ED) following dinner at the family’s favorite restaurant. During the meal, she developed facial flushing, acute urticaria, vomiting, and diarrhea. In the ED, she is given epinephrine and diphenhydramine, and the symptoms resolve. At a follow-up visit the next day in your office, the girl’s mother informs you that her daughter had eaten cashew-crusted tuna with a serving of fresh fruit, including mango, papaya, and kiwi.

     Patient 2
A 4-year-old boy is playing outside and is stung by an unidentified insect. He runs inside crying, and his mother cleans the sting site on his hand. Over the next 2 hours, the hand and distal forearm become red, swollen, and pruritic. His mother takes him to a local ED. He is given diphenhydramine and parenteral corticosteroids and is observed for several hours. Several days later, the ED calls the mother to report that a honeybee venom allergy test performed in the ED is positive at a level of 2.3 kU/L.

	Allergies and Allergy Testing

 
Immunologic reactions traditionally are classified by using the Gell and Coombs system (Table1). This simple scheme is useful for learning and thinking about different mechanisms of immunopathology, although a medical condition in an individual patient might involve more than one of the mechanisms. Reactions involving immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated immediate hypersensitivity are called type I. Cytotoxic reactions that are Ig-mediated are called type II. Mechanisms involving immune complexes are type III, and type IV reactions are delayed hypersensitivity reactions mediated by T cells. Antigen-specific tests are available . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Rapid Responses: