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What is the gold standard in diagnosing an anaphylactic food allergy? It's not a skin test. It's not a blood test. It's an ingestion challenge.

In this episode,Dr. Alice Hoyt discusses the critical role of ingestion challenges when it comes to accurately diagnosing IgE-mediated food allergies. By consuming the suspected allergen under the careful supervision of a board-certified allergist, patients can achieve a precise diagnosis, which is pivotal before embarking on treatment plans like oral immunotherapy or long-term avoidance strategies. She shares valuable insights and tips on how to prepare for an ingestion challenge, ensuring a smooth and reassuring process for both patients and families.

Dr. Hoyt also explores the life-changing impact ingestion challenges can have, especially for young children and their parents. Drawing from the groundbreaking LEAP study, she stresses the importance of confidently introducing potentially allergenic foods to children, highlighting how, in some cases, ingestion challenges  provide firsthand safety assurance. Additionally, she touches on the complexities of food allergy skin and blood testing and how these tests should not be considered confirmatory for food allergies. 

Tune in to learn how ingestion challenges empower food allergy families and, in some cases, confirms that a child is no longer allergic to a food.

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This podcast is the official podcast of the Hoyt Institute of Food Allergy. Information on, within, and associated with this site and Food Allergy and Your Kiddo is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.