Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Skin Prick Food Allergy Tests - Large Flare But No Wheal?


greenbeanie

Recommended Posts

greenbeanie Enthusiast

Does anyone know if it's meaningful to get large flares but no (or little) wheals on skin prick food allergy tests? Before all this business with celiac testing, I had allergy testing done. I've had many environmental allergies since I was a kid (to pollens, dust, animals), and those skin prick tests gave me clear results. But my food tests were strange. For a bunch of them, I had large flares (22mm or more) but with either no wheals or wheals smaller than the histamine reference prick. The allergist ran IgE blood tests on a handful of these to try to get clearer about what was going on, and the blood tests were all negative. She concluded that I don't have any food allergies.

For other foods, and for the saline control prick, I got no wheals or flares, so it's not just that my skin is over-reactive in general. And I really can't draw any reliable conclusions from how I feel after eating, since I pretty much always feel sick. Maybe once I've been gluten-free for longer my reaction to the other foods will be clearer, but for now I don't want to cut out a whole bunch of other foods if it's not really necessary. The ones that gave me the big flares are all very common things (celery, carrot, apple, potato, orange, onion), and avoiding them all plus gluten would be quite restrictive. I did not react at all to other nightshades or to other things in the same families (like garlic or tomato), which makes it even more puzzling.

Has anyone else had weird allergy test results like this and figured out what it means? My allergist was not helpful - she just said to avoid whatever foods I feel bad eating (but again, I really can't tell right now). My endoscopy showed visible redness in my stomach, and biopsies of my esophagus showed inflammation. I have not seen the actual pathology report or had my follow-up appointment with the GI yet, but I think my intestinal biopsies didn't show clear signs of celiac or someone would have told me that by now. Gluten is obviously a huge problem for me, whether it's celiac or not, but I just can't tell whether it's the root of all the problems.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



kareng Grand Master

From what I have heard around here, those skin tests aren't very accurate for food allergies.

 

Open Original Shared Link

shadowicewolf Proficient

From what I have heard around here, those skin tests aren't very accurate for food allergies.

 

Open Original Shared Link

Only if used by themselves. If you get a hive and have symptoms otherwise, then, to my understanding, you are allergic to whatever item it is.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,746
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Hughesy
    Newest Member
    Hughesy
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Russ H
      The EMA test is an old and less sensitive test for anti-tTG2 antibodies. It relies on a technician using a microscope to check for fluorescence of a labelled substrate (typically monkey oesophagus or human umbilicus), giving a simple positive/negative result. It is similar to running a standard anti-tTG2 test but with a high cut-off, making it more specific but less sensitive. Transient rises in tTG2 can be caused by e.g. viral infections and inflammation. Very high levels of anti-tTG2 (>x10 standard range) are almost certainly coeliac disease but moderately raised levels can have several causes apart from coeliac disease. Other food allergies can cause villi blunting but that is much rarer than coeliac disease or other non-coeliac causes. Not All That Flattens Villi Is Celiac Disease: A Review of Enteropathies
    • Theresa2407
      Maybe you have a low  intolerance to Wheat.   Rye, Barley and Malt are the gluten in Celiac disease.  It has always been stated Wheat and Gluten, not just a Wheat intolerance.  Barley will keep me in bed for (2) weeks.  Gut, Migrains, Brain fog, Diahrea.  It is miserable.  And when I was a toddler the doctor would give me a malt medicine because I always had Anemia and did not grow.  Boy was he off.  But at that time the US didn't know anyone about Celiac.  This was the 1940s and 50s.  I had my first episode at 9 months and did not get a diagnosis until I was 50.  My immune system was so shot before being diagnoised, so now I live with the consequences of it. I was so upset when Manufacturers didn't want to label their products so they added barley to the product.  It was mostly the cereal industry.  3 of my favorite cereals were excluded because of this. Malt gives me a bad Gut reaction.
    • Gigi2025
      Thanks much Scott.  Well said, and heeded.   I don't have Celiac, which is fortunate.
    • Scott Adams
      Do you have the results of your endoscopy? Did you do a celiac disease blood panel before that?  Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
    • Scott Adams
      It is odd that your Tissue Transglutaminase (TTG) IgA level has bounced from the "inconclusive" range (7.9, 9.8) down to a negative level (5.3), only to climb back up near the positive threshold. This inconsistency, coupled with your ongoing symptoms of malabsorption and specific nutrient deficiencies, is a strong clinical indicator that warrants a more thorough investigation than a simple "satisfactory" sign-off. A negative blood test does not definitively rule out celiac disease, especially with such variable numbers and a classic symptomatic picture. You are absolutely right to seek a second opinion and push for a referral to a gastroenterologist. A biopsy remains the gold standard for a reason, and advocating for one is the most direct path to getting the answers you need to finally address the root cause of your suffering. Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.