At your first appointment in our St Albans Clinic, a detailed allergy focused history will be taken. This is a very important element of your allergy consultation. If you feel you have reacted to foods, for example, please try and bring a list of which foods caused a reaction, when they were ingested and what the reaction was. If there were various ingredients, please try and find out the detailed list by looking at the packet or asking the chef for a breakdown. Commonly we see food allergy, nut allergy as well as allergies causing hay fever, eczema, asthma and oral allergy syndrome.

Diagnosis of allergy often requires skin prick testing. These are undertaken by putting small drops of allergens (eg food extract) on the skin and using a very fine point to press the skin. It is a painless and easy procedure. Results are then read after 15 minutes. If possible, please avoid antihistamines for 5 days prior to the appointment. Skin prick tests are usually, but not always, undertaken on the day of your allergy appointment. 

When necessary, we can also arrange blood tests to further investigate allergic symptoms. These blood tests are called specific IgE blood tests. We can now even organised highly advanced blood tests that can look for allergic responses to separate allergenic proteins contained within a single food item (eg peanuts). These are called component resolved diagnostics and can significantly improve the quality of allergy diagnosis.

It is often possible to rule out allergy and be able to help reintroduce food back into the diet. However, where allergy is confirmed, we will formulate an allergy action plan with you. This will allow you to be clear as to which foods or allergens to avoid and what to do in the event you suffer symptoms.