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Allergy testing
in London
Specific IgE blood testing, with a GP choosing the right panel for your symptoms and reading the result against what actually happens to you.
The test is easy. Knowing what the result means is the hard part
Allergy testing measures specific IgE: antibodies to particular allergens. It is the blood test many people still call RAST. What it shows is sensitisation: the antibodies are present. That is not the same as being allergic.
The distinction matters because panels test a lot of things at once. A panel will find antibodies to foods you eat perfectly happily, and to pollens that have never troubled you. Bought online and read alone, that produces a long list of things to avoid and no actual answer.
So the useful part is not the test. It is a GP taking a history first (what happened, how quickly, how reproducibly), choosing the panel that fits, and then reading the result against that. A positive to something you have never reacted to is not a diagnosis. A negative is often the more clear-cut finding of the two.
The panels
Which panel, and why
The £89 consultation covers the appointment. Panels are charged in addition.
For airborne and seasonal symptoms
UK Aero Allergen, £332, results in two days.
For eczema and suspected food triggers
Atopic profile, £344, results in two days.
Before you book
When testing helps, and when it does not
A reaction to a particular food
Fast onset, reproducible, and you already have a fair idea what it was. This is where the result is most likely to be meaningful.
Hay fever that is not responding
Knowing which pollens affect you can change when you start treatment, which often matters more than what you take.
Eczema that keeps flaring
Where food or environmental triggers are suspected and the pattern is not obvious from a diary alone.
Symptoms around animals
Cat, dog and horse dander are all covered on the panels. Useful before committing to a pet, or to a job.
Not for intolerance
Bloating, wind and cramping after food are not immune reactions and will not show up on an IgE test at all.
Bigger is not better
A 300-allergen panel finds more positives, not more answers. More allergens tested means more results to things that have never troubled you.
If you have ever had difficulty breathing, throat tightness or swelling of the face or lips after an exposure, please say so when you book rather than waiting for a routine appointment. If it is happening now, call 999.
Questions
Things people ask us
Can I just be tested for one thing?
Not on its own. Specific IgE here is done as a panel rather than allergen by allergen. That is normal for private laboratory testing, and it is why choosing the right panel matters. The consultation is where we work out which one fits your symptoms rather than defaulting to the largest available.
Does a positive result mean I am allergic?
Not by itself. It shows sensitisation, meaning the antibodies are there. Whether that translates into a real allergy depends on what actually happens when you are exposed, which is why the result is read alongside your history. Expect a panel to return some positives to things that have never caused you any trouble. That is normal rather than alarming.
Is this the same as a RAST test?
Yes. RAST is the older name and the technology has moved on, but both refer to a blood test measuring IgE antibodies to particular allergens. If your GP has told you to get a RAST test, this is it. Laboratories now generally report it as specific IgE.
What about food intolerance testing?
Intolerance is not an immune reaction, so an IgE test will not detect it. Symptoms such as bloating, wind and cramping are usually better approached through your history and a structured elimination and reintroduction, and it is worth excluding coeliac disease, thyroid problems and iron deficiency first. The consultation is the place to plan that.
The panel is the easy part
Book a consultation and we will work out which one is actually worth doing.