MYTH: “Our 15-month-old daughter had an allergic reaction to a food last month, but our pediatrician said we don’t need to do tests or see an allergist because she is still ‘too young’ for testing”.
FACT: If a child has an allergic reaction after the child has eaten a food, a child can have an allergy assessment. There is no limit for the age for allergy consultation and possible skin testing. If a child has a severe reaction or anaphylaxis, sometimes testing can be falsely negative within 6 weeks. Hence, if there was a severe reaction, a delay for 6 weeks prior to skin testing may be warranted.
This is different from some seasonal environmental allergy skin testing that is not warranted for children less than 2 years of age.
Note: Each month on our blog, we are featuring a common myth about food allergies, followed by the facts. Information for this month’s Fact was provided by Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, MD, MMath, FRCPC, an allergist at Kindercare Pediatrics Clinic in Toronto and at McMaster Childrens’ Hospital in Hamilton.
Tags: myths and facts, testing