Pitfalls in the diagnostics of food allergies in children and adolescents

For the diagnostics of food allergies several points need to be considered. Firstly, it is important to recognize the various clinical pictures that can be caused by a food allergy. The assignment to a disease decides which further examinations are necessary and reasonable. In immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated allergies, the detection of sensitization by determining the specific IgE or the prick test in addition to the medical history is an important mainstay of the diagnostics. Crucial is the fact that the detection of a sensitization against an extract from an allergen source only rarely implies an actual allergy. The majority of positive findings are not clinically relevant. The modern procedure of component-resolved allergy diagnostics improves the significance. Nevertheless, the diagnosis can often only be achieved by oral provocation tests. This article points out possible difficulties with the interpretation of the findings.