Allergy testing at OLCHC

Background Allergy is a growing problem in the western world. However, education of health care workers in the field of allergy has not kept up with clinical need. There has been much evidence that medical practitioners use diagnostic tests inaccurately, declaring food allergy where there is none. Removal of food from a patient’s diet, especially a child’s, has significant nutritional implications that can be irreversible and have a lifelong effect. Furthermore the cost of inappropriate tests is escalating. Guidelines have recently been set indicating that allergy focused history must guide all allergy orders: www.ifan.ie.