food allergen test
To identify, monitor, and manage food allergies.
15 million
15 million people nationwide have food allergies, 9 million of them are adults according to Food Allergy Research and Education.1
8% (5.9 million)
8% (5.9 million) of children in the U.S. have food allergies.2
38.7%
38.7% of food allergic children have a history of severe reactions.2
30.4%
30.4% of food allergic children have multiple food allergies.2
50%
A 50% increase in food allergies was observed among children between 1997 and 2011.3
Symptoms
The symptoms of a food allergy can vary from mild to severe or even life-threatening. It is not always possible to predict how severe symptoms will be based upon the symptoms experienced during a previous reaction. As an example, a person could have mild hives after eating peanuts on one occasion and then have an anaphylactic reaction after eating peanuts another time. However, reactions are not necessarily worse after each exposure.
mild to moderate symptoms may include one or more of the following:
- Hives (reddish, swollen, itchy areas on the skin)
- Eczema flare (a persistent dry, itchy rash)
- Itchy mouth or ear canal
- Nausea or vomiting
- Odd taste in the mouth
- Tight, hoarse throat
- Nasal congestion or a runny nose
- Sneezing
- Dry cough
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
Severe symptoms may include one or more of the following:
- Swelling of the lips, tongue, and/or throat that blocks the airway
- Trouble swallowing
- Shortness of breath or wheezing
- Pale or blue coloring of the skin
- Drop in blood pressure (feeling faint, confused, weak, passing out)
- Loss of consciousness
- Chest pain
- Weak pulse
- Anaphylaxis- a potentially life-threatening reaction that can lower blood pressure, impair breathing and send the body into shock immediately.
Food allergy risk factors include:
- A family or personal history of allergy, asthma, eczema, hives, or hay fever increases the chances for developing a food allergy.
- Age- Food allergies are more common in children, especially toddlers and infants.
- Having a past food allergy as a child or an allergy to another food; those who are allergic to one type of food are more likely to develop other food allergies.
- History of asthma- asthma and food allergy commonly occur together. When they do, both food allergy and asthma symptoms are more likely to be severe.
FDA has stated that each year in the U.S., it is estimated that anaphylaxis due to food results in:
30,000 emergency room visits
2,000 hospitalizations
150 deaths
Eight foods are responsible for most food allergies:
Peanuts
Eggs
Shellfish
Cow’s Milk
Tree nuts
Wheat
Fish
Soy
what we offer
The Vibrant America Food Allergy test is a simple blood test which can diagnose allergens causing food allergy.
- The test panel includes 96 of the most common allergens that are consumed, including peanut, milk, egg, shellfish, tree nuts, fish, corn, soy, lectin, wheat, fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and nightshades, amongst others.
- The test uses only purified natural or recombinant allergen extracts for diagnosis.
- Vibrant offers high consistency and reproducibility.
- Test results give an improved understanding of IgE profile.
- The test provides quantitative results based on chemiluminescent measurements.
- Vibrant’s food allergen test leads to improvement of diagnosis and treatment of food allergy patients.
food allergen panel
HOW DO YOU ORDER VIBRANT’S FOOD ALLERGEN TEST?
Vibrant’s food allergen test is only available to order through your provider. If your physician is not in our network, please contact us.
why vibrant
Vibrant America has developed a food allergy panel based on high-density microarrays which simultaneously recognize a number of food allergens in an affordable manner. Our method comprises a silicon-based biochip utilizing a chemiluminescent detection method for allergens.
Vibrant’s multiplex microarray technology allows:
- Detection of multiple (96) allergens in a single run.
- The use of only 500µl of serum sample for complete results, thus, reducing sample collection for pediatric and geriatric patients.
- Internal quality controls and calibrators, permitting more rigorous standarization.
- Testing each allergen with 3 controls enabling high consistency and reproducibility.
- A cost-effective solution that addresses the need for an accurate diagnostic test with high sensitivity and specificity.
Fill in the gaps of food allergy diagnosis
limitations of traditional testing
- High rate of false positive results.
- Allergenic cross-reactions
- Undigested food protein not detected by IgE
- Food extracts are not standardized
- Tests are affected by previous ingestion of histamines or other drugs.
- Multiple skin peddle picks are often not tolerated by children.
- Does not predict the severity of an allergic reaction.
- Risk of cross-contamination if the antigens are not applied 2cm apart.
- Rare possibility of anaphylaxis.
- Requires highly dedicated hospital facilities
- Cumbersome and time consuming
- Risk of anaphylaxis
- Stressful for patients and their patients
- False negative results occur: Some allergic reactions are exercise induced or due to other circumstance (phychological/physical/medical factor)
- Certain drugs like antihistamines
- Body may become accustomed to the small amounts of food and may not reacts as the dosage increases
- False positive results: Occur due to ingestion of allergenic food during the test
- Ambiguous results: Occur when
- Patient experiences symptoms that are not typical allergy symptoms
- Symptoms occur several hours or more after the allergen was administered
- Patient and/or parents refusal and non-cooperation of young patients
how vibrant may help
High sensitivity and specificity
Multiple food allergen determinations with one blood sample
Less volume of sample required
Can be used in patients with skin disorders
Helpful in determining likelihood of clinical reaction
Test can be performed during pregnancy
Not affected by medications like antihistamines
Highly dedicated hospital facilities are not required
No risk of contamination, anaphylaxis and systemic reactions
This test has been developed and its performance characteristics determined by the CLIA-certified laboratory performing the test. This test has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although FDA does not currently clear or approve laboratory-developed tests in the U.S., certification of the laboratory is required under CLIA to ensure the quality and validity of the tests.
1. Facts and Statistics-Food Allergy Research & Education. Retrieved from https://www.foodallergy.org/life-food-allergies/food-allergy-101/facts-and-statistics
2. Gupta RS, Springston, MR, Warrier BS, Rajesh K, Pongracic J, Holl JL. The prevalence, severity, and distribution of childhood food allergy in the United States. J Pediatr.2011; 128
3. Jackson K et al. Trends in Allergic Conditions among Children: United States, 1997-2011. National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief. 2013.
4. Branum A, Lukacs S. Food allergy among U.S. children: Trends in prevalence and hospitalizations. National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief. 2008. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db10.htm
5. Gupta R, Holdford D, Bilaver L, Dyer A, Holl JL, Meltzer D. The Economic Impact of Childhood Food Allergy in the United States. JAMA Pediatr. 2013;167(11):1026–1031.
6. NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food allergy in the United States: Report of the NIAID-sponsored expert panel. J Allergy ClinImmunol.2010; 126(6):S1-S58
7. FDA. Food allergies: What you need to know. Retrieved on 8th November 2017. https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079311.htm
8. Liu AH, Jaramillo R, Sicherer SH, Wood RA, Bock AB, Burks AW, Massing M, Cohn RD, Zeldin DC. National prevalence and risk factors for food allergy and relationships to asthma: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006. J Allergy ClinImmunol.2010; 126: 798-806.
