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Your source for allergy answers

Clarity with Allergy Testing

We’ve simplified allergy testing—for healthcare providers and patients—to deliver clear answers that inform allergy management strategies and help improve the quality of life for patients. Learn how a single blood test can save time and provide actionable results.

Explore common allergies

Asthma and respiratory allergies

Identify and potentially reduce relevant allergens and irritants that increase symptoms.

Girl taking a dose from an inhaler

Food allergies

Find the source of your food allergy, such as milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, fruits, vegetables, sesame seed, soy or wheat.

Father and son prepping and eating food in a kitchen

Skin allergies

Skin irritation, rashes, swelling or hives may be related to an allergy. 

Woman in a work meeting holding onto her shoulder

Pet and animal allergies

Pets are considered part of the family but may be a source of allergy symptoms.

Woman holding a kitten with a dog laying next to her

Stinging insect allergies

Identify allergic reactions to venom from stinging insects, such as honey bees and wasps.

Bee pollinating on a bed of yellow flowers

Pediatric allergies

Identify and potentially reduce relevant allergens and irritants that increase symptoms.

Mother holding her daughter while she is looking at a fruit tree

Drug allergies

An allergy to an over-the-counter medication or prescription drug typically appears as a skin reaction, such as a fever, rash or hives, but a drug allergy can also cause a serious condition called anaphylactic shock. 

pharmacist working at a computer. There are multiple pill bottles on the desk

Environmental and workplace allergies

Indoor allergies, in the workplace or in school, may cause year-round symptoms, which may get worse with environmental or seasonal allergies.

Group of four factory workers in a warehouse

Improve patient care for allergy sufferers

Distinguishing allergy-like symptoms from those of other conditions can be challenging. Primary care providers are often the first ones to accurately diagnose an underlying allergy and determine the next steps for their patients.

We’re here to help you get the information you need to manage your patients. Learn how blood-based specific IgE allergy testing can enable a more refined diagnosis, assess the risk for a systemic reaction and prepare a comprehensive management plan.

 

~50%

patients with respiratory tract and/or skin symptoms may have an underlying allergy with specific triggers.²

Relief starts with an accurate diagnosis

Many patients and providers may skip allergy testing and move straight to pharmacotherapy to treat allergy symptoms, typically using antihistamines for respiratory symptoms.

Empiric symptom management seldom uncovers the cause of patient’s symptoms and may result in overtreatment, ineffective treatment, repeat office visits and high medication costs.1

Get the answers you need through blood-based testing to better manage patients’ underlying allergies.

Provide more value to patients with allergy testing

Blood-based specific IgE allergy testing can be conducted in a primary care setting. In combination with a detailed clinical history and physical examination blood-based testing helps identify an individual patient’s allergy triggers. With ImmunoCAPᵀᴹ specific IgE allergen component testing—the gold standard for in vitro diagnosis of allergic conditions3—you can:

  • Reveal the root causes of an allergy at the molecular level

  • Test for sensitivity to antigenic components, allowing for a more precise way to evaluate an allergy

  • Differentiate between species-specific allergy and cross-reactivity

  • Assess the risk for more severe, future systemic reactions

Easily order tests—and interpret results

Results from blood-based specific IgE allergy testing includes interpretive reports that help you understand the implications for management.

Beyond the results that display the normal and abnormal levels of specific IgE, the Labcorp Allergy Report provides educational information to share:

  • If the abnormal protein levels may be associated with more severe, systemic reactions or a higher risk for anaphylaxis

  • If the results suggest that the patient is at risk for clinical reactions to all forms of an allergen

  • Relevant sensitization rates and cross-reactivity of proteins

  • If any related allergens are associated with the allergy, such as a fruit and tree nut allergy that is associated with birch pollen allergy

  • If clinical correlation is required to determine if the patient will react to other foods containing a similar protein due to cross-reactivity

  • If you should seek additional tests, such as an oral food challenge or a skin prick test through a specialist referral

The role of specific IgE testing

Watch our allergy webinar discussing the primary care approach to personalized asthma and allergy management.

Browse the Labcorp allergy test menu

We’re here to help you identify relevant allergens so you can select the appropriate therapeutic interventions for your patients, such as allergen avoidance, medications or immunotherapy.

References

  1. Williams PB, Ahlstedt S, Barnes JH, Söderström L, Portnoy J. Are our impressions of allergy test performances correct? Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2003 Jul;91(1):26-33. doi: 10.1016/s1081-1206(10)62054-6. PMID: 12877445.
  2. Ahlstedt S, Murray CS. In vitro diagnosis of allergy: how to interpret IgE antibody results in clinical practice. Primary Care Respir J. 2006;15:228-236.
  3. Crameri, R. In vitro allergy diagnosis – Allergen-specific IgE. In: Akdis, C. EAACI Global Atlas of Allergy. Zurich: European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2014.

Living with allergies—you’re not alone

Allergies affect more than 50 million people in the U.S. each year and are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S.Over-the-counter medicines like antihistamines might not help ease allergy symptoms. Whether you are exposed to pollens, certain foods, dust mites, pets or mold, it’s important to understand what is causing your symptoms by performing allergy testing.

Get the answers you need through allergy testing to feel more informed and empowered with your health.

 

Understanding allergens and allergy testing

Normally harmless substances, also called allergens, can be found inside and outside of your home. If you are exposed to allergens and your immune system identifies them as a threat, then your body will produce antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) and these IgE antibodies can trigger your allergic symptoms.

Getting answers about your allergies can start with your primary care provider. Along with a physical exam and medical history, your provider can order a simple blood test—called a specific IgE blood test—to better understand your allergic triggers and:

  • Prescribe appropriate medication
  • Help you reduce exposure to certain allergens
  • Create a customized treatment plan for controlling your reactions and reducing your symptoms

    Common allergic symptoms

      • Watery eyes

      • Sneezing

      • Runny nose

      • Wheezing

      • Rashes

      • Hives

      • Scratchy throat

      • Coughing

      • Congestion

      • Stomach pain

      • Swelling of lips, tongue and/or throat

      Your options for testing

      Whether you are exposed to pollens, certain foods, dust mites, pets or mold, it’s important to understand what is causing your symptoms by performing allergy testing. Find out what is causing your symptoms.

      Doctor-ordered IgE blood test

      Anyone can request (or obtain) IgE allergy blood testing from their primary care provider. A wide range of tests can identify 500+ relevant allergens—including grasses, foods, molds and animal dander—to help you get the allergy answers you need.  

      Doctor talking to a patient and their partner in a hallway

      Labcorp OnDemand tests

      Labcorp OnDemand offers you several allergy tests that you can order yourself—from food allergies, Celiac Disease, to a full range of indoor and outdoor allergies. 

      Woman on a bike wearing glasses and a helmet

      References

      1. American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. (2018). Allergy Facts. https://acaai.org/news/facts-statistics/allergies Accessed 27 June 2022.
      2. World Allergy Organization. WAO White Book on Allergy. https://www.worldallergy.org/UserFiles/file/WAO-White-Book-on-Allergy_web.pdf
      3. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) Defined. https://www.aaaai.org/Tools-for-the-Public/Allergy,-Asthma-Immunology-Glossary/Immunoglobulin-E-(IgE)-Defined Accessed 27 June 2022.