Interpretation of Results

• How will specific IgE testing change the way I treat/manage patients?

• What do I do when the test report shows multiple low-level positives?

• How do results correlate to symptom severity?

• How should I interpret specific IgE levels?

How will specific IgE testing change the way I treat/manage patients?

A: By using objective evidence early to help guide and confirm your diagnosis of allergy-like symptoms, you will be able to get to their true cause more quickly. As a result, you will be able to prescribe effective treatments early (eg, allergen avoidance measures and medications) and more effectively manage patient symptoms. I have found that ImmunoCAP testing has allowed me to focus on disease etiology without wasting a patient’s time (and mine!) on empiric trial and error. In addition, patients and parents appreciate the option of a less invasive way of diagnosing allergies, compared with skin-prick testing. This form of testing has greatly enhanced my practice of medicine—and the outcomes and satisfaction of my patients.

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What do I do when the test report shows multiple low-level positives?

A: When this occurs, it is important to correlate laboratory findings with clinical symptoms. Probability curves have been established to show that increasingly higher concentrations of specific IgE correlate with increased risk of symptoms. As a result, ImmunoCAP quantitative test results offer the clinician a more detailed picture of IgE sensitivity to aid the diagnosis and strengthen disease management. Targeted avoidance measures can be tailored to reduce overall allergic load to reduce symptoms or prevent them altogether.

This situation often occurs in children with sensitivities to one or more common foods. An elevated specific IgE level to an allergen may simply mean that the patient has become sensitized to that allergen and doesn’t necessarily indicate an actual symptomatic allergy. I usually try eliminating one of the foods to see what happens to the patient’s symptoms. If the patient improves, then you can see that the patient indeed has an allergy to that food. If symptoms don’t improve in a few weeks, then you can eliminate some of the other foods to identify the real culprits.

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How do results correlate to symptom severity?

A: ImmunoCAP testing offers more than a fixed cut-off point of allergic/non-allergic status. Probability curves have been established to show that increasingly higher concentrations of specific IgE correlate with increased risk of symptoms. As a result, ImmunoCAP quantitative test results offer the clinician a more detailed picture of IgE sensitivity to aid the diagnosis and strengthen disease management. Targeted avoidance measures can be tailored to reduce overall allergic load (created by one or more high-level positive allergens or by multiple low-level positives) to reduce symptoms or prevent them altogether.

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How should I interpret specific IgE levels?

A: The ImmunoCAP blood test report lists the level of specific IgE for each allergen. Results are reported in kilounits per liter (kU_A/L). To help you interpret these results, use the chart provided, which lists IgE ranges as well as management options according to the degree of allergic response. Click here to download a PDF file of this chart.

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