What is Food Allergies
A food allergy is hypersensitivity to dietary substances, leading to various types of gastrointestinal complaints. It occurs mainly, but not exclusively, in children. It is a commo...
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Need clarification on what RAST test scores mean
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Hello,
My 18 month daughter has a RAST test of 4.4. Her allergist rated it a 3 and said it was medium to high. She has eaten peanut butter twice by accident and has never had a reaction (even had an entire peanut butter sandwich). Her allergist advised us not give her any peanut butter or nuts until she can be tested at 5 and until her RAST scores go down. I have a co-worker whose 18 month daughter who broke out with hives aroung her mouth when she was given a small amount of peanut butter. She saw the same allergist and was told that her daughter's scores were really low, advised not to worry about it, and that she will more than likely grow out of it. On the other hand, he informed us that our daughter will probably never grow out of her peanut allergy. Please tell me if I'm wrong, but I thought the RAST scores indicates the probability of a reaction and not the severity of the reaction. I don't understand how my daughter scored higher than my friend's, but has had no reaction. If her score is higher, wouldn't she have a higher chance of having a reaction. I also don't understand how my daughter's allergy is considered worse than my friend's because of a score when she has not had any reaction what so ever. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks! Posted on 02/17/09, 11:02 pm |
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From my experience the RAST grading doesn't necessarily reflect the level of allergy that the child has. My daughter was tested twice for eggs with a negative result then subsequently had a very severe anaphylactic reaction. Even after testing she was still only a grade 3 but has a severe allergy. She is however a 4+++ for peanuts and has accidentally eaten a peanut sweet and the only adverse effect was 3 bouts of vomiting!! I therefore think that this 'grade' doesn't always accurately reflect how the child might react if exposed to the allergen. 
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I had a blood antibody test done and it came back negative for nickel even though the skin test came back the highest reaction to nickel you could possibly have. The point is if someone avoids a allergen for a certain amount of time it will show up less and less on the blood antibody test and get to a point where it may not even show up at all. I had avoided nickel for a year before the blood test and it came back negative. Those tests are sooo unpredictable and can't be trusted but can be a good estimation. Another thing I have learned is your allergist can not be trusted I have a few crazy stories but they are really long. You should switch allergists and get a second opinion. Go to a completely different place and have them just test for peanut though a skin test (many will skin check a baby, the only reason many won‘t is only if they have existing rashes) and also have them run Another rast test (if you insurance pays for it). Then you can have more information to make an informed decision about what is right to do but in the mean time stay with the epi pen protocol just in case and avoid peanuts. You know whats right and know your baby the best, trust your instincts.
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Always wonder if allergies are the food, or the nasties in the food. Like peanuts, I don't have a problem with them, as long as they are truly fresh and not moldy or rancid. If they have aflatoxins, I have a problem with them.
Same with MSG. The food is fine, the MSG gives me nightmares, headaches and nightsweats. Nutrasweet, the stuff in kool-aid, when they first put it in there, major heavy headache, like a truck landed on it. That was on one glass. Tried 1/2 a glass later, and got a headache more like a car landing on my head. LOL I quit the nutrasweet. I have resorted to eating only food I fix. And I make everything from scratch. My hubby said he was allergic to several things when we met. He eats them all now, except for shrimp, he won't touch them. Found out that shrimp can have bad bacteria like E-Coli and Hep A or B. That's what happens to bottom feeders. I think someday soon we will find out that allergies are caused by additives, molds, bacteria and just plain old bad processing of food. I think we will find that when we stop polluting the earth and our homes with harsh chemicals, that our bodies will adjust and handle more foods that cause allergies now. But then, that's just me.
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