Powering better patient management through simplified allergy testing

Allergies, respiratory infections, and asthma often present with similar symptoms, making them difficult to differentiate. Being able to rule in or rule out allergies as the cause of your patients’ symptoms can help inform better treatment decisions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends allergy testing for patients with asthma, to help close gaps in care.1

Simplify allergy testing and patient management with ImmunoCAP, an easy, reliable IgE blood test. It quantitatively measures specific IgE antibody levels and identifies allergic sensitivities.

IgE blood testing during SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

Patients with underlying conditions, including moderate to severe asthma, might be at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.2 Identifying allergic triggers in order to control asthma is more important than ever.

Identifying upper respiratory disorder allergy triggers

Upper respiratory disorders (URDs), including rhinitis, sinusitis, and allergic rhinitis, affect tens of millions of Americans.3 Because the cause of URD symptoms may be viral, bacterial, or allergic, a definitive diagnosis is essential to determine appropriate treatment.

  • Nearly two-thirds of patients prescribed antihistamines for their reported allergic rhinitis have symptoms that are not due to allergy4
  • Results from specific IgE blood tests like ImmunoCAP play a key role in making the correct diagnosis5
  • Patients with the following should be tested: recurrent or chronic URD; unseasonal allergy-like symptoms; seasonal or perennial allergy-like symptoms; recurrent otitis media; exogenous asthma and other conditions in which IgE mediation is suspected
  • Most respiratory-specific IgE blood testing profiles are targeted to their geographic area, including regional panels
 
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Better manage asthma by knowing the triggers

Asthma and allergy go hand in hand, as multiple allergic triggers can add up to asthma symptoms. ImmunoCAP can help you identify these triggers, reduce care gaps, and help you and your patients better control their asthma.

  • Costs for patients with uncontrolled asthma are double those for patients whose asthma is well controlled6
  • Up to 90% of children and 60% of adults with asthma have allergic sensitivities7,8
  • The CDC recommends allergy testing for children and adults with persistent asthma; allergy testing can also be considered for persons with intermittent asthma1
  • The National Institutes of Health also recommends allergy testing for successful long-term management of asthma9
  • Testing for allergy sensitivities in patients with asthma can help reduce inappropriate referrals and improve patient engagement and outcomes
 
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Detect sensitivities with food allergen component testing

Whole allergens and allergen components can help you diagnose food allergies, allowing you to prepare a more comprehensive management plan. Determine which proteins your patients are sensitive to with ImmunoCAP allergen component testing.

  • Peanut: detecting sensitivities to the whole peanut can help you determine the likelihood of a systemic reaction; 77.6% of patients sensitive to peanut may not be at risk for a systemic reaction10
  • Egg: determining whether your patient is sensitive to egg white can help you predict the likelihood of reaction to products baked with egg, as well as allergy persistence; 70% of children with egg allergy do not react to baked egg11
  • Milk: determining how sensitive your patient is to cow’s milk can help you predict the likelihood of a reaction to baked goods, along with allergy persistence; 75% of children with milk allergy do not react to baked milk12
  • Tree nut: walnut and cashew allergies are potentially life-threatening, increasing in prevalence and rarely outgrown,13-15 and cashew nut-sensitive patients have a risk of experiencing severe allergic reactions16
 
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Staying under-threshold for better patient management

From animal dander to pollens, allergens often add up, as every patient has a different level at which they show symptoms. When that level is crossed, the combination of allergens turns into symptoms.17,18 ImmunoCAP offers a full range of allergen testing.

  • Allergies to dogs and cats affect 10%–20% of the population worldwide19
  • Over 49 million Americans are sensitive to dog and/or cat allergens20,21
  • Whole allergens help you diagnose pet allergy, allowing you to prepare a more comprehensive management plan
  • Quest Diagnostics also offers a full range of indoor and seasonal allergen testing, including house dust mites, molds (indoor and outdoor), and pollens, among others
 
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Enabling you to identify allergy triggers

Quest Diagnostics is dedicated to providing you with the insights you need to help your patients better manage allergy triggers. Access ImmunoCAP test codes and clinical information in our Test Directory.

Test Directory

Powering better patient management with ImmunoCAP

Learn more about our allergen testing solution.

 

Connect with us today, and a Quest sales representative will be in touch

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Allergy testing for persons with asthma: frequently asked questions. Accessed September 4, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/pdfs/AA_Fact_Sheet.pdf
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 2020. Accessed September 4, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
  3. Stewart M, Ferguson BJ, Fromer L. Epidemiology and burden of nasal congestion. Int J Gen Med. 2010;3:37-45.
  4. Szeinbach SL, Williams B, Muntendam P, O’Connor RD. Identification of allergic disease among users of antihistamines. J Manag Care Pharm. 2004;10(3):234-238.
  5. Papadopoulos NG, Bernstein JA, Demoly P, et al. Phenotypes and endotypes of rhinitis and their impact on management: a PRACTALL report. Allergy. 2015;70;474-494.
  6. Sullivan SD, Rasouliyan L, Russo PA, Kamath T, Chipps BE. Extent, patterns, and burden of uncontrolled disease in severe or difficult-to-treat asthma. Allergy. 2007;62(2):126-133.
  7. Høst A, Halken S. The role of allergy in childhood asthma. Allergy. 2000:55(7):600-608.
  8. Allen-Ramey F, Schoenwetter WF, Weiss TW, Westerman D, Majid N, Markson LE. Sensitization to common allergens in adults with asthma. J Am Board Fam Pract. 2005;18(5):434-439.
  9. National Institutes of Health. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma (EPR-3). 2012.
  10. Nicolaou N, Poorafshar M, Murray C, et al. Allergy or tolerance in children sensitized to peanut: prevalence and differentiation using component-resolved diagnostics. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010;125(1):191-197.
  11. Lemon-Mulé H, Sampson HA, Sicherer SH, et al. Immunologic changes in children with egg allergy ingesting extensively heated egg. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;122(5):977-983.
  12. Nowak-Wegrzyn A, Bloom KA, Sicherer SH, et al. Tolerance to extensively heated milk in children with cow’s milk allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;122(2):342-347.
  13. Pastorello E, Farioli L, Pravettoni V, et al. Lipid transfer protein and vicilin are important walnut allergens in patients not allergic to pollen. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004;114(4):908-912.
  14. Rosenfeld L, Shreffler W, Bardina L, et al. Walnut allergy in peanut-allergic patients: significance of sequential epitopes of walnut homologous to linear epitopes of ara h 1, 2 and 3 in relation to clinical reactivity. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2012;157:238-245.
  15. Roux KH, Teuber SS, Sathe SK. Tree nut allergens. Int Arch Allergy Immunology. 2003;131:234-244.
  16. Clark AT, Anagnostou K, Ewan PW. Cashew nut causes more severe reactions than peanut: case-matched comparison in 141 children. Allergy. 2007;62(8):913-916.
  17. Halken S, Høst A, Niklassen U, et al. Effect of mattress and pillow encasings on children with asthma and house dust mite allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003;111(1):169-176.
  18. Morgan WJ, Crain EF, Gruchalla RS, et al. Results of a home-based environmental intervention among urban children with asthma. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:1068-1080.
  19. Chan SK, Leung DYM. Dog and cat allergies: current state of diagnostic approaches and challenges. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2018;10(2):97-105.
  20. Konradsen JR, Fujisawa T, van Hage M, et al. Allergy to furry animals: new insights, diagnostic approaches, and challenges. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015;135:616-25.
  21. Salo PM, Arbes SJ, Jaramillo R, et al. Prevalence of allergic sensitization in the United States: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2006. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;134:350-359.