Parents! This New Way to Test for Peanut Allergies Is Easier, Safer and More Reliable
A peanut allergy is no joke. But the current method of testing involves children ingesting small amounts of a host of potential allergens to then wait for a reaction. It’s an imperfect system—in the U.K., for example, as many as 78 percent of kids are false positives, and worse, severely allergic children are at risk for anaphylactic shock.
But now there’s an easier, safer blood test option, according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
According to the study, a blood test for peanut allergies using the MAT (mast activation test) is 98 percent accurate—far more reliable than the current allergist-conducted food ingestion way.
And—good news for squirmy toddlers—there’s no lengthy testing rigamarole to sit still for. While the current study endorses the MAT only for peanut allergies, researchers hope that in the future they will by able to use the test to screen for milk, eggs, sesame and tree nuts.
