Food Allergy Test Dubai | Food Allergy Test | Book Now

Food allergies are pesky things that can ruin your day. One minute, you're enjoying a delicious meal with friends and family, and the next, you're suffering from sudden shortness of breath, inability to swallow, nausea, vomiting or severe swelling. Your dreaded food allergy has once again sneaked upon you! Getting a food allergy test is the best way to prevent such a scenario from happening.

A good allergen test can identify the substances your body is allergic to, thus saving you from a lot of trouble in the long run. In addition, the test can protect you from unknowingly ingesting things your body could be allergic to.

What is a food allergy?

Before opting for a food allergy test, you must know what exactly a food allergy is and how it is triggered. An allergy is a hypersensitive reaction of your immune system to an allergen. In this case, an allergen is a food that you ingest. Usually, exposure to an allergen for the first time does not result in an allergic reaction. The body can take up to two weeks to produce IgE antibodies in response to the allergen. When the second exposure occurs, the IgE antibodies recognize the allergen and trigger the immune response within minutes.

A cascade of events occurs in the body. Special immune cells, called mast cells, release histamine and other inflammatory chemical compounds, causing inflammation, rashes, itching, difficulty breathing, etc. A severe allergic response can trigger anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening condition and requires immediate medical attention.

Common allergic symptoms include:

• Red Rashes or hives
• Itching
• Swelling in the throat
• Difficulty breathing and chest tightening
• Hoarseness
• Inability to swallow
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramps

Are food intolerance and food allergy the same?

Food Intolerance or food sensitivity is not the same as a food allergy. A food allergy is a rapid response of the immune system to an allergen. In contrast, food intolerance is merely the inability of the body to digest a particular food or beverage. The offending party is usually a faulty digestive system, lacking digestive enzymes. The result is an unpleasant bodily reaction to the food, seen as bloating, gas, stomach pain, diarrhea, headaches, runny nose, etc.

The symptoms appear a few hours after ingesting the food and may continue for hours, sometimes days. It's worth noting that while the smallest amount of offending food can trigger a food allergy, the same does not hold for food intolerance. The severity of symptoms in food intolerance depends on how much food has been eaten. It is challenging to differentiate between a food allergy and food intolerance since they display similar reactions, so it is better to get a food sensitivity test Dubai. 

What are the common food allergies?

Some typical foods that people are allergic to include:

• Milk
• Soy
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts (Walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds etc.)
• Wheat
• Shellfish 

What is the process of getting a food allergen test in Dubai?

With healthchecks360, getting a food allergy test Dubai is relatively straightforward. Just pick a package that suits you from our specialized test section on the website and enter your details to book an appointment. Our team will revert with a confirmation and a test slot at a clinic close to you. You can opt for your preferred test location from our list of partner clinics. On the test day, you will have to reach the test location and give your blood sample. Then, we will bring it to our BioHealth Lab in Karama for processing. It will take approximately 7-10 days for your test result to come in. Once we have your results, we will reach out to you, and you can download the report from our online portal.

How does the food allergy test work?

At Healthchecks360, we offer a variety of packages designed to meet your individual needs. For example, you can opt for a stand-alone food allergy test or combine it with an inhalant allergen or food intolerance test. Our team uses scientifically sound techniques with advanced lab equipment to get accurate results for over 44 food allergens. Our food allergy test checks for IgE antibodies in your blood. The higher the number of IgE antibodies in response to a particular food allergen, the higher is the chance that you are allergic to that food.