[Food allergy: comparison of diagnostic techniques]

Fourteen children affected with allergic disease, from 8 months to 7-years-old, were studied; three children had Bronchial asthma, one child Bronchial asthma and rhinitis, one child recurrent laryngospasm, six children atopic dermatitis, two children diarrhoea, one abdominal pain. In all patients cow's milk and egg were the most common offending foods. Total IgE serum level, IgE serum specific, Prick test and ALCAT test (the test predicts food which would produce a problem) were investigated. A comparison among the different laboratory methods for food allergy diagnosis was analyzed.