Wheat Allergy Tests
Wheat allergy tests include skin test, blood tests, Elimination diet Test and complete medical history including details of diet and alterations in foods.
Your doctor will take a complete medical history and advise some test to confirm the wheat allergy. You will need to tell the doctor about the foods to which you feel some trouble after their consumption. If you have any skin rashes or other symptoms after consumption of any food, you should also tell to your doctor.
Your doctor can advise you for the following tests:
Wheat Allergy Skin Test
Your doctor to confirm the wheat allergy will conduct skin test. In this skin test, a few drops of allergen extracts are pricked onto the surface of the skin. Generally, your doctor or lab technician will choose your forearm to insert some allergen extracts into the skin surface. Sometimes, upper back is best place for pricking and testing about wheat allergy.
How much time will it take to complete the skin test?
Generally, if you are allergic to wheat, allergic reaction signs will appears within 15 to 20 minutes after the pricking with allergen extracts.
Signs of wheat allergic reaction during skin test
If your skin becomes red, you experience itchy skins, and some bumps appear on pricking site, then you are allergic to the wheat and all wheat containing products.
Blood test for Wheat allergy
If your doctor has doubt on skin test because of possibilities of certain medicines that you are taking, then he will recommend following blood tests from the laboratory.
- Total IgA (Total immunoglobulin A)
- IgA-tTG (Immunoglobulin A Tissue Transglutaminase)
- IgA-EMA (Immunoglobulin A Endomysial Antibody)
- IgA-DGP (Immunoglobulin A Deamidated Gliadin Peptide)
In all these blood tests, your laboratory technician or doctor will try to screen for allergy causing antibodies. Your doctor may also ask for other tests depending on your health conditions and symptoms.
Recording of foods and symptoms
There may be possibility that you experience symptoms with some foodstuffs, but your body response other foods normally. To recognize about your allergic foods, your doctor will ask you to monitor and keep record about symptoms and their association with certain types of foods.
Elimination diet Test for wheat allergy
Elimination diet test includes elimination of certain foods. In wheat allergy, your doctor will ask you to stop consuming foods containing wheat as an ingredient. If you experience a relief in your symptoms after stopping the wheat products, then you may be victim of wheat allergy.
For confirmation, your doctor may ask to include wheat in your diet and if symptoms return, it will be confirmation that you are surely allergic to the wheat.
All these tests require medical supervision; do not try any test yourself at home. This can be dangerous and life threatening, so consult your doctor immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Urticaria
- Breathing troubles
- Excessive sneezing or allergic rhinitis
- Cramps and pain in the abdomen
- Chest pain
- Swelling on the face
- Diarrhea
These symptoms may be because of wheat allergy. There is a difference in wheat intolerance and wheat allergy. In wheat intolerance, you will only experience some digestive symptoms and there is no systemic symptom will appear in wheat intolerance such as swelling on face or breathing troubles.
