To better align with our Allergy Specialists and reduce confusion and costs to patients, we have simplified and standardized our Allergy Panel offerings. These new panels will be available to order beginning Thursday, October 24, 2019. Also effective on this date, several of our old panels will be discontinued.
Browsing Tag
Immunology & Allergy
Microbiology, Test Utilization
Helicobacter pylori Diagnosis – Serologic Testing is no Longer Recommended
Overview
Clinical guidelines no longer recommend serologic testing as a method for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. Rather than IgG serology testing, other non-invasive testing methods such as H. pylori stool antigen and urea breath tests may be used to both diagnose and monitor response to therapy for H. pylori infection. In anticipation of an increase in stool antigen testing, currently a reference lab send-out test, Spectrum Health Regional Laboratory (SHRL) will be implementing this test as of October 29, 2018. By offering this test in-house, results will typically be available one day faster than present state.
Immunochemistry, Test Utilization
Utility of specific IgE (sIgE) testing to foods and food allergen components
The diagnostic evaluation of allergic disease occurs in the context of a patient’s complete clinical presentation. Important factors include, age, clinical signs and symptoms, relevant allergen exposures, and the performance characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values) of the allergy tests themselves. Allergy tests yield information about sensitization to allergens, which is not always equivalent to allergic hypersensitivity (i.e., sensitivity); thus, interpretation in the context of clinical history is essential for accurate diagnosis.