The young client has developed a possible food allergy. The nurse predicts that the physician may request which of the following?

Question

1. A client food diary 2. Oral food challenge test 3. Provocation-neutralization testing 4. Cytotoxic testing

Answer 1

2 Rationale: Prior to developing a treatment plan, it is important to identify the food or foods that have caused the allergic reaction. A food diary is a helpful tool, but the "gold standard" for identifying a food allergy is the oral food challenge test. While supervised by a physician, the client is given a small amount of food that the health-care providers believe may be producing the food allergy. The oral food challenge is a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic test. It is important to accurately identify food associated with allergic reactions to help prevent malnutrition issues, especially in children. There are other alternative food allergy testing methods such as provocation-neutralization testing and cytotoxic testing, but these are not recognized by leading professional allergy organizations as reliable tools for identifying a food allergy.