Allergies are often hard to diagnose. We take a look at symptoms of allergies and how to detect them
True allergy
True allergy is the easiest to diagnose, as the reactions tend to be more rapid making it easier to decide what is the culprit. Also, evidence of the reaction is more likely to be found by using conventional tests, for example, blood tests, skin prick tests and patch tests. Your doctor can refer you to a specialist if he or she feels that these would be appropriate.
If symptoms take longer to appear, the problem may be harder to diagnose as the tests above may not show up the problem.
Concerns
In general, if you are concerned that your child may have an allergy or intolerance, do speak to your doctor. You may find it helpful to gather some evidence before the appointment. Keep a diary, noting down any symptoms your child has, along with what they were doing at the time, what time/day the symptoms appear, foods eaten and so forth. Also note down anything that seems to help ease the symptoms as well as details of anyone else in the family who may have had similar problems. This may give you and the doctors some clues about the source of the problem.
What tests are there?
There are blood, skin, hair and other forms of tests available from alternative practitioners, in health food shops and by mail order. There is little scientific evidence that any of these tests can reliably diagnose allergy or intolerance.
