Predictive values of food-specific IgE in food allergy

The double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenge is the << gold-standard >> for the diagnosis of food hypersensitivity.: This test can be time-consuming, expensive (hospitalisation, monitoring), and entails significant risks; it is therefore difficult to perform routinely. Alternatives to this procedure must therefore be found among the other complementary investigations. Laboratory assays of food-specific IgE, using a technique which gives a reliable quantitative response, can provide an almost certain diagnosis, at some levels, and therefore avoids the need for food challenges in a proportion of patients. We tested 6 foods and found diagnostic predictive cut-off values that can be used in everyday practice for 4 of the foods: egg, milk, peanut, fish.