Can an allergy blood test come back with a false positive?!
Question: Can an allergy blood test come back with a false positive.?
well i dont really know how to explain the situation. but my mom received a positive for gluten and dairy allergies, and ive seen her eat gluten containing foods, and dairy containing foods, and get no reaction. what are the typical signs for a gluten and dairy allergy.? im not really sure, but im wondering if these test can be affected by things like stress. please help me, if i can get info i can take it to her doctor, and find out if maybe they are wrong.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
The easy answer to you question is "yes." Just like any other test, there can be false outcomes. The accuracy depends on if it was a RAST or ImmunoCAP test. The test can come back with anti-gluten-like antigens, which bind with the anti-gluten IgE on the test panel and give a positive result.
Allergies are person-specific. Just because you have the antibodies in your blood, that doesn't mean that physical symptoms are immediate or like other people's symptoms. Sometimes the allergies can be as subtle as being slightly more tired or a little more water in the stool. also, the antibody class switching from IgM to IgE could be recent and the response still fairly low due to lack of antigen-specific sentinel cells in the lumen.
What is positive today may be negative next month. Not every positive test results in a measurable response. The antibodies may fade over time as the body realizes that gluten and casein are not a threat. All it takes is one cold, one Norwalk virus, one salmonella infection, and antibody class switching can produce small amounts of IgE that don't cause physical symptoms. Just be cautious.Health Question & Answer
Allergies are person-specific. Just because you have the antibodies in your blood, that doesn't mean that physical symptoms are immediate or like other people's symptoms. Sometimes the allergies can be as subtle as being slightly more tired or a little more water in the stool. also, the antibody class switching from IgM to IgE could be recent and the response still fairly low due to lack of antigen-specific sentinel cells in the lumen.
What is positive today may be negative next month. Not every positive test results in a measurable response. The antibodies may fade over time as the body realizes that gluten and casein are not a threat. All it takes is one cold, one Norwalk virus, one salmonella infection, and antibody class switching can produce small amounts of IgE that don't cause physical symptoms. Just be cautious.Health Question & Answer
I have a gluten sensitivity,please read very carefully what I'm about to type.Doctors told me I had nothing wrong with me.But in 2007 I almost died at 30 of a disease I never knew I had.I was told I had IBS.6 months later I found out I had celiac disease which set up nor walk virus on me,which almost killed me.This gluten sensitivity is very serious.Please im begging this is a silent but deadly disease,please im telling you there can be not one symptom and you can still have it.You will still feel weak and run down even if you never throw up or have diarrhea.After all this an autoimmune disease.Health Question & Answer
I have very severe food allergies to everything and am on 2 food shots a week. for the rest of my life.Just because you don't see a reaction doesn't mean a reaction is not going on inside her body and that is dangerous because you can't see it.She needs to stop eating these foods now.She is playing a very dangerous game if she continues to eat them.Health Question & Answer
some people have these diseases and show no symptoms or reactions. i have the same allergies and nothing ever happens to me but just like me if your mom keeps eating gluten she wont be able to digest it and it will eventually start tearing away at her intestines and... well that can lead to cancer or worse... so she probably shouldnt be testing it too often. but anyways... if you're not completely sure though i would suggest having her take an enzyme test.Health Question & Answer