Discover more about your allergy
20% of children
develop allergies
30% of adults
develop allergies
1-10% of people
have food hypersensitivity
99% of global allergens
tested by Allergyfocus
It is estimated that 20% of children and 30% of adults develop allergies in their lifetime. People can be allergic to environmental factors such as pollen, moulds, house dust, animal dander or certain foods like nuts, milk and shellfish.
Allergies can give rise to a wide range of symptoms including itchy skin rashes, hives and eczema, tingling in the mouth, wheezing and breathlessness, hay fever and even anaphylactic shock. Allergies are caused when your immune system produces high levels of antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) against the allergens.
The Allergyfocus IgE antibody test quickly and accurately detects 99% of globally known allergens from a finger prick blood sample. The test provides a comprehensive personalised antibody profile of your allergy triggers for precise diagnosis.
Discover more about your allergy from the comfort of your own home with our Allergyfocus at-home health tests. 1-10% of adults and children have a food hypersensitivity and our comprehensive Allergyfocus molecular antibody test covers the following Allergic Reactions:
- Pollen from trees and grasses
- Proteins secreted from house dust mites
- Moulds
- Foods eg nuts, milk, shellfish, eggs
- Pets eg cats, dogs, horses, rabbits
- Wasp and bee venom
Knowing exactly what you are allergic to allows you to take steps to reduce exposure to the allergen and avoid positive foods from your diet.
This will lead to a considerable improvement in quality of life including better control of ezcema, improved ability to exercise, reduction in sneezing and nose blowing and improved sleep. People at risk of anaphylactic shock may need to carry emergency epinephrin treatment.
The Allergyfocus IgE molecular antibody test quickly and accurately detects 99% of globally known allergens from a finger prick blood sample and provides a comprehensive individual antibody profile. Up to 300 different allergens are tested, including all known allergy triggers for precise diagnosis.
Allergyfocus Brochure
For all the information on our Allergyfocus test, download our brochure.
Allergyfocus Sample Report
View an example report from our Allergyfocus test. This example shows all 300 allergens from our Comprehensive Allergy test.
Your actual report may vary in length, as we only report the Allergens that you are detected to be sensitive to.
Allergyfocus Kit Includes:
- 1x Sample Collection Tube (incl protective packaging)
- 3x Blood Sample Lancet
- 3x Adhesive Plaster
- 3x Alcohol Swab
- 1x Sample Label
- 1x Test Record Card
- 1x Instructions Booklet
- 1x Pre-paid Return Sleeve
Allergies affect 20% of the population with symptoms ranging from mild hayfever to potentially life-threatening food allergies. Allergic reactions occur when your body identifies a normally harmless substance (allergen) as dangerous and begins to produce antibodies. These antibodies are immunoglobulin E (IgE), and when these bind to allergens they cause the release of inflammatory chemicals such as histamine – which cause allergic reactions.
Why an IgE test?
Each allergen that causes an allergic response will have a specific group of IgE antibodies to combat it. People with a high total of IgE usually suffer from multiple allergies. The more IgE antibodies there are against an allergen, the more sensitised they are and the greater the risk of developing an allergy.
What is the difference between sensitisation and allergy?
Sensitisation is when your immune system produces IgE antibodies in response to an allergen. It is the levels of allergen specific antibodies that the Allergyfocus test measures. Some people may be sensitised to an allergen (and therefore have detectable IgE antibodies targeting it) but never show any symptoms of an allergy. Whilst high levels of IgE cannot predict if you will experience symptoms or how severe they may be, an IgE test provides strong evidence for the presence or absence of allergies and has become a vital tool in modern allergy diagnosis.
What age is the self-sample kit suitable for?
The finger prick self-sample blood collection kit is not suitable for use by anyone under the age of 10. Children between 10 and 16 using the finger prick self-sample blood collection kit should be supervised by an adult.
When is the kit dispatched?
All orders placed before 12pm BST Monday to Friday are, where possible, dispatched same day via Royal Mail (or courier for multiple kit purchases) to UK addresses. Any orders placed after 12pm BST Friday will be dispatched to the UK address on the following Monday.
How do I complete the sample?
Included within the Allergyfocus test kit is detailed instructions for completing your sample for our lab. Alternatively, you can download the instructions from here.
What do my results mean?
Your results are given in kUa/L – kilounits of allergen-specific IgE per litre. You will receive a total IgE (tIgE) measurement, which is a measure of the total amount of IgE against all allergens in your sample. You will also receive measurements for each allergen that you have reliably detectable amounts of specific IgE for. The higher these measurements are, the more sensitised you are to an allergen. In the details of the report, you will see both molecular components of allergens (part of a whole allergen) and extracts of allergens.
Remember that whilst these results are a useful guideline, they don’t by themselves constitute an allergy diagnosis. You should always consult with a healthcare professional if you are concerned about anything in your report. Due to high variability on values below 1kUA/L we recommend that anything below 1kUa/L should not be considered as clinically relevant.
What to consider from my results?
Whilst the Allergyfocus test contains a wide array of allergens, you may be sensitised to other allergens not included in this test.
Sensitisation to allergens in some individuals may be dependent on other factors of an individual’s immune response or whether the allergen has been cooked/digested. These circumstances are not incorporated by the test.
IgE levels also slowly decrease when allergens have not been encountered for some time, so any foods that you have been strictly avoiding may show lower results than expected. There are also some non-IgE mediated allergies (though rare) and intolerances that are not covered by the Allergyfocus test.
If you have never encountered an allergen then you will have never produced specific antibodies for that allergen. For example, you could be allergic to bee venom but if you have never been stung you will not have antibodies for it.
This test alone should not be used as a diagnosis. You should consult with a healthcare professional before making major lifestyle or healthcare changes.
How long does it take to get Allergyfocus test results?
Once a sample has been received by our lab, the test process takes up to 3 working days. This excludes weekends and bank holidays.
Allergen component: Individual proteins from allergens that could cause allergies. Testing against these is typically more sensitive than testing whole extracts, but there might be multiple components to be tested from individual allergens.
Allergen extract: A mixture of proteins from one allergen that are potential causes of allergy. These are typically extracted from naturally occurring sources of allergens and contain multiple allergen components.
Allergic Rhinitis (Hay Fever) is the most common form of non-infectious rhinitis, affecting 10-15% of children and 26% of adults in the UK. It accounts for accounts for 16.7 million physician office visits annually
Sensitisation: The process in which your body creates IgE antibodies against allergens. Once you are sensitised your body is primed to have type 1 allergic reactions, and this is what the Allergyfocus test actually measures.
Venom Allergy where immediate sting reactions are experienced vary from 1% to 7% of the general population.
Considering the Allergyfocus test?
1
Order Allergyfocus online
2
Oncologica confirms order and dispatches kit
3
Collect finger prick sample as per kit instructions.
4
Oncologica receives the sample and performs the test in our laboratory.
5
Customer will receive an email notification when results are ready to view on their online dashboard
Food Intolerance and Sensitivity Test
