I know that it can be extremely worrying for parents when they suspect their child has a food allergy, but wrongly diagnosing someone with a food allergy could also have a serious negative effect on their health. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has just published for comment a draft clinical practice guideline on food allergy in children and young people– which, I hope, will mean greater consistency in the way children are diagnosed with food allergies and how their allergies are then managed.
But one very important point that the draft guidelines make is that people shouldn’t be using the ‘do it yourself’ diagnostic kits that are available to buy in shops or on the Internet. It’s worrying that many of these kits being offered to the public have no valid scientific basis to support them, especially when they’re sold as trusted scientific or medical tests. And it’s not just that people might be wasting money on a product that doesn’t work. There are real dangers that if people do use these tests and are misdiagnosed, they could, as a result, cut lots of nutritionally important foods out of their diet - having significant consequences, particularly in young children.
There’s lots of advice on allergy and intolerance on the Agency’s eatwell website, but in addition to this we’d always recommend that you discuss concerns about food allergies with a qualified health professional and you may want to ask your GP to refer you or your child to a specialist allergy clinic for a detailed diagnosis.