Allergy lentil Test

Food allergy occurs when a person’s immune system reacts inappropriately to a food. The symptoms may include itching in mouth or hives on body. In more serious condition which is popularly called Anaphylaxis, a person might have sudden low blood pressure, swelling on face, breathing difficulty, nausea, abdominal pain. These symptoms are caused by the interaction between a food allergen and an antibody known as IgE (immunoglobulin E). So, basically, many people with a legume allergy will be sensitive to lentils or any other legumes. Any food containing protein has the capability of causing an allergic reaction, one of the examples is lentils. This can determined by Skin Prick Tests (SPTs) or Blood Test. SPTs are inexpensive, produce immediate results and are not even painful.

No fasting necessary. It is advisable that you should either wear a sleeve-less or a half-sleeve shirt or wearing a shirt with full- sleeves that can easily be rolled-up till elbow so that the doctor can test you without any hindrance.

If a raised white bump surrounded by a small circle of itchy red skin, it’s a positive result. Positive tests, however, are not always accurate. About 50-60 percent of all SPTs yield “false positive” results, meaning that the test shows positive even though you are not really allergic to the food being tested. On the other hand, SPTs seldom produce “false negatives”. So, it’s better to get a blood test done afterwards to get fool-proof results.

1. During this test, the allergist places a drop of solution containing the food allergen or fresh food on your forearm or back.
2. Using a small plastic probe or needle, the doctor gently pricks or scratches the skin to allow a tiny amount of the solution to enter just below the surface. (The scratching on the surface of the skin feels similar to a fingernail scratch.)