Skin prick testing for allergies. For a positive response, the skin will become red and raised. Diagnosis of<unk>  is based on the person's history of allergic reactions, skin prick test (SPT), patch test, and measurement of<unk>  protein specific serum IgE. A negative IgE test does not rule out non-IgE-mediated allergy, also described as cell-mediated allergy. Confirmation is by double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges, conducted by an allergy specialist. SPT and IgE have a sensitivity of around 88% but specificity of 68% and 48%, respectively, meaning these tests will probably detect a<unk>  sensitivity but may also be false-positive for other allergens. Attempts have been made to identify SPT and IgE responses accurate enough to avoid the need for confirmation with an oral food challenge. A systematic review stated that in children younger than two years, cut-offs for specific IgE or SPT seem to be more homogeneous and may be proposed. For older children, the tests were less consistent. It concluded "None of the cut-offs proposed in the literature can be used to definitely confirm cow's<unk>  diagnosis, either to fresh pasteurized or to baked<unk> ." Differential diagnosis The symptoms of<unk>  can be confused with other disorders that present similar clinical features, such as lactose intolerance, infectious gastroenteritis, celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and pancreatic insufficiency, among others. Lactose intolerance Hydrolysis of the disaccharide lactose to glucose and galactose<unk>  is distinct from lactose intolerance, which is a nonallergic food sensitivity caused by the lack of the enzyme lactase in the small intestines to break lactose down into glucose and galactose. The unabsorbed lactose reaches the large intestine, where resident bacteria use it for fuel, releasing hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane gases. These gases are the cause of abdominal pain and other symptoms. Lactose intolerance does not cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract. There are four types: primary, secondary, developmental and congenital. Primary lactose intolerance is caused by decreasing levels of lactase brought on by age. Secondary lactose intolerance results from injury to the small intestine, such as from infection, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease or other diseases. Developmental lactose intolerance may occur in premature babies and usually improves over a short period of time. Congenital lactose intolerance is an extremely rare genetic disorder in which little or no lactase is made from birth.
Milk allergy
Lactose intolerance  Lactose intolerance  1
Egg allergy
Peanut allergy
Corn allergy
Soy allergy
Poultry allergy
Latex allergy