Egg allergy test

Information about the egg allergy test Imutest Egg Allergy

Egg allergy test can be performed at home easily. In only 30 minutes, you will know if allergenic egg proteins cause your symptoms.

The egg allergy test is a certified home medical diagnostic test. It is specially designed to be performed by individuals with no experience in medical diagnostics.

The test is an IgE blood test. It detects IgE antibodies in the blood that are specific for allergenic egg proteins contained in egg yolk and egg white.

Testing with this egg allergy test is safe and very easy. You carry out the analysis in four steps:

1. withdraw blood from a fingertip,
2. add the blood and buffer to the testing device,
3. activate a device,
4. wait 30 minutes for the result.

Individuals usually need 5-10 minutes to complete a testing procedure by themselves at home. There is an additional 30-minute waiting time for the result.

The egg allergy test is manufactured in the United Kingdom. It is ISO 13485 compliant and CE certified in the Netherlands by the Notification body 0344.¹

The test is very accurate. Clinical performance evaluation study showed 97,15 % agreement with the reference laboratory diagnostic method.

The egg allergy test comes with the Sanotest Quality Guarantee and will be replaced to you free of charge in case you were not able to obtain the result.

Egg allergy testing kit includes everything you need to perform testing at home and comes with easy-to-follow instructions for use.

You will receive the test in discreet packaging so that nobody will know what is inside the package.

Egg allergy (allergy to proteins in egg yolk and egg white)

Egg allergy is an abnormal response of the body's immune system to allergenic proteins in egg.

IgE mediated allergic reaction (this means that the body's immune system produced IgE antibodies) usually appears 1 to 2 hours after ingestion of food. Non-IgE mediated allergic reaction can also appear later.²

This egg allergy test accurately detects these IgE antibodies that are produced by the immune system as a response to ingestion of allergenic egg proteins.

There are five main allergenic proteins in egg yolk and egg white.

Main allergenic egg proteins in egg white are ovomucoid, ovalbumin, ovotransferrin and lysozyme³, while the predominant allergenic protein in egg yolk is alpha-livetin.⁴

Allergenicity of egg proteins

The allergenicity of egg proteins depends mostly on their resistance to heat and digestive enzymes.⁵

Both factors influence the structure and stability of an allergenic protein and consequently its ability to trigger specific immune response.⁶

For example, raw or undercooked eggs may trigger a more severe reaction (egg allergy) that well-cooked eggs.⁷

Allergy symptoms can appear after ingestion, inhalation or other exposure to food.²

Signs and symptoms of a food allergy

Shortly after ingestion of allergenic food, a food allergy commonly manifests as problems of a digestive tract like itching in the mouth, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.⁸

Egg allergy causes, among others, atopic dermatitis.⁹ Response of an immune system to a specific allergen can be influenced by various factors such as genetic predisposition, quantity of an allergen and exposure to an allergen in childhood.¹⁰

When to get tested for an egg allergy?

According to the Food Standards Agency, in the UK, about 2 million people are living with a diagnosed food allergy. Furthermore, between 1% and 2% of adults and 5% to 8% of children have a food allergy.¹¹

Experts recommend testing for egg allergy, especially to individuals who experience symptoms of an egg allergy after ingestion of food containing egg yolk or egg white, such as¹²:

• Skin reactions, such as swelling, a rash, hives or eczema.
• Wheezing or difficulty breathing.
• Runny nose and sneezing.
• Red or watery eyes.
• Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

Benefits of egg allergy testing at home

Egg allergy testing at home with this test is a convenient, fast and cost-efficient approach for identification of an egg allergy.

The presence of IgE antibodies specific for particular allergen (e.g. proteins in egg yolk and egg white) is the most significant blood marker for diagnosis of an allergy.¹³

Commonly used diagnostic tests for the identification of an egg allergy are skin-prick tests and blood (serology) tests for detection of egg allergy specific IgE antibodies.

Experts carry out such tests in doctors' offices or medical laboratories, but you can also test yourself at home.

Therefore, the main advantage of this egg allergy test is that you can do it by yourself at home. And you know the result in 30 minutes.

You do not need to go anywhere or send your blood sample to a laboratory for analysis.

At home you can test yourself also for the milk allergy.

How accurate is the egg allergy test?

The egg allergy test is 97,15 % accurate. Accuracy has been evaluated in clinical performance evaluation study in which results of this home test have been compared with the results obtained in the laboratory.

In 97,15 % of cases, this test showed the same result as laboratory tests.

The test is very reliable. It is manufactured in the United Kingdom, it is ISO 13485 compliant and CE certified in the Netherlands by the Notification body 0344.¹

How to perform the egg allergy test at home?

The egg allergy test is a certified home medical diagnostic test, specially designed to be performed by individuals with no experience in medical diagnostics.

The test is an IgE blood test that detects IgE antibodies specific for egg allergy. Therefore a small sample of blood from a fingertip needs to be collected (accessories for blood collection are included in the kit).

The testing kit comes with easy-to-follow instructions for use that guide you through the testing procedure.

Testing with this home test is safe and very easy. You carry out the analysis in four steps:

1. withdraw blood from a fingertip,
2. add the blood and buffer to the testing device,
3. activate the testing device,
4. wait 30 minutes for the result.

Individuals usually need 5-10 minutes to complete a testing procedure by themselves at home. There are an additional 30 minutes of waiting time for the result.

The usefulness of the results obtained with the egg allergy test

Results of the egg allergy test are useful as a first step in the identification of an egg allergy.

Food allergy testing can be of great assistance to identify the real cause of food-related health problems. Moreover, testing can help you to proactively speed up the diagnosis process and influence on more efficient potential treatment.

Results of the egg allergy test are interpreted visually as positive, negative or invalid.

In case of a positive result: avoid eggs and food containing egg white or egg yolk. Consult your doctor, who will decide on further steps.

In case of a negative result: monitor egg allergy symptoms and if symptoms reoccur, repeat the test with a new test.

Important notice: If the result of the egg allergy test is negative and symptoms of the egg allergy persist, it might be the case of a non-IgE mediated allergic reaction. In such a case, we advise you to consult with your doctor.

In case of an invalid result: the Sanotest Quality Guarantee applies. Please contact us.

Limitations of the egg allergy test

With many advantages of the egg allergy test, there are also some limitations you should consider before ordering the test.

You should not take decisions of medical relevance based on the result of the egg allergy test alone without consulting a doctor.

Do not take any decision of medical relevance without first consulting your doctor. If you use an egg allergy test for monitoring an existing allergic disease, you should not change your treatment unless you have received appropriate training.

Result of the egg allergy test should be interpreted in line with the existing egg allergy symptoms.

High levels of IgE can be a useful indicator of the risk of allergy but a high level of IgE, by itself, will not indicate that you are at a high risk of suffering or developing allergies.

You must have or have had milk allergy symptoms for a positive result to be significant. Neither can normal levels of IgE completely rule out a risk of suffering or developing an egg allergy in the future.

The egg allergy test is for single use and one person only.

You should never combine blood samples or reuse the egg allergy test. Only one person should use the test. Once you use the test, you cannot reuse it.

Questions and answers about the egg allergy test

Is the egg allergy test suitable for children?

Yes, it is suitable. In case of testing children for an egg allergy, parents should perform the test.

Should I consume eggs before performing the test?

You should not attempt to check your sensitivity by eating food you suspect may be causing you problems.

How do you know that a testing device works correctly?

A testing device has an internal control integrated. When a colour line appears in the control area of a testing device, it means that a testing device works correctly.

Are blood collection accessories included in the egg allergy testing kit?

Yes, the egg allergy testing kit includes blood collection accessories.

Literature:

¹ European Commission. Tools and Databases, Legislation. Accessible at: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/nando/index.cfm?fuseaction=country.nb&refe_cd=EPOS_43666 (10. 03. 2020).
² Bahna S. L., 2003. Clinical expressions of food allergy. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 2003(90), 41-44.
³ Bernhisel-Broadbent J., et al., 1994. Allergenicity and antigenicity of chicken egg ovomucoid (Gal d III) compared with ovalbumin (Gal d I) in children with egg allergy and in mice. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1994, 93(6), 1047–59.
⁴ Szepfalusi Z., et al. Egg yolk alpha-livetin (chicken serum albumin) is a cross-reactive allergen in the bird-egg syndrome. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1994, 93(5), 932–942.
⁵ Astwood J. D., et al., 1996. Stability of food allergens to digestion in vitro. Nature Biotechnology, 1996, 14(10), 1269–1273.
⁶ Heine R. G., et al., 2006. The diagnosis and management of egg allergy. Current Allergy and Asthma Report, 2006, 6(2), 145–152.
⁷ Eigenmann P. A., 2000. Anaphylactic reactions to raw eggs after negative challenges with cooked eggs. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2000, 105(3), 587–588.
⁸ Fiocchi A., et al., 2010. Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow’s Milk Allergy (DRACMA): A summary report. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2010, 126(6), 1119-1128.
⁹ Caubet J. C., Wang J., 2011. Current understanding of egg allergy. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 2011, 58(2), 427-443.
¹⁰ Platts-Mills A. E. T., et al., 2011. Allergens as Risk Factors for Allergic Disease. V: Pawnkar R., et al., WAO White Book on Allergy, 2011, 79-84.
¹¹ Food Standards Agency. Food allergy and intolerance programme. Accessible at: https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/fsa170306.pdf (20. 02. 2020).
¹² American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Egg Allergy. Dostopno na: https://acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergies/types-food-allergy/egg-allergy (28. 8. 2018).
¹³ Sanchez-Borges M, et al., 2011. Diagnosis and identification of causative allergens. V: Pawnkar R., et al., WAO White Book on Allergy, 101-106.