How Accurate is At-Home Allergy Testing? Expert Insights

At-home allergy tests are explored as an affordable way to test for environmental and food allergies. Are they accurate or a waste of your time and money? Our allergy experts take a closer look at the pros and cons of at-home allergy tests versus the tests you get in a doctor’s office.

Understanding What At-Home Allergy Testing Looks at and How It’s Done

It’s unlikely that your health insurance will cover the cost of an at-home allergy test. If you have an HSA or FSA, some plans allow you to use those funds on these allergy kits, but you need to check. The cost of an at-home allergy test can be prohibitive. Where there are options under $50 on online retailers or local pharmacies, there are other advanced kits priced at around $500. Pricing depends on the type of allergy test.

Types of At-Home Allergy Tests

Many companies sell at-home environmental and food intolerance tests. They look at blood samples, hair, or saliva to find raised levels of inflammation when exposed to certain allergens. Environmental allergy tests look at allergens like metals, ingredients in cosmetics, food sensitivities, dust mites, mold, and pet dander. You may need to pay for different tests to get a comprehensive picture of possible allergies.

Blood

A small sample of blood is taken and applied to dried samples of possible food and environmental allergens. If the blood cells change or there are higher levels of IgC antibodies, it’s supposed to prove there’s an allergy to that item. The problem is that IgC antibodies are present after you eat any food, so it can mean nothing.

Blood tests for IgE are a better way to look at potential inflammatory responses after exposure to an allergen, but they vary greatly. It takes a medical expert who looks at your comprehensive health history before interpreting test results.

Hair

Some at-home tests require about a dozen strands of hair. When the hair arrives at a lab, they check the mineral makeup to see what shows up. The idea is that when there’s a food intolerance, it will get stored in the hair.

Pulse

There’s another test that has you record your pulse after eating certain foods. If your heart rate spikes, it’s supposed to prove you have an allergy. The problem is that digestion is enough to increase your heart rate. During digestion, blood flow to the stomach increases, so your heart must pump harder to make sure your extremities still receive the blood they need.

Saliva

Like the blood test, a saliva test looks at the immunoglobulin levels (IgA, IgE, IgG, IgG4, and IgM) after eating certain foods. If there are increased levels, it signifies a sensitivity to that food.

Statistics on Their Effectiveness

The reality is that no firm statistics provide proof that at-home allergy tests are effective. People who undergo them believe that testing and avoidance of allergens help them a lot, but there’s no clear evidence that they’re highly or even partially accurate. It’s a gamble. They might help you, but they could also be a complete waste of time and money.

Some companies share their effective rates. One of the largest companies for at-home testing states accuracy rates of 70% to 90% for its environmental allergy tests. They accurately find sensitivities, but they cannot decisively diagnose allergies. 

How Doctor’s Office Tests Differ from At-Home Allergy Tests

Many insurance companies cover some of the cost of a doctor’s office allergy tests. The amount of coverage depends on your plan, the severity of your allergies, the type of test, and how much of a deductible or copay your plan has. Check to see if you need your general practitioner to refer you to an allergy specialist to ensure insurance coverage.

Types of Doctor’s Office Allergy Tests

That’s an at-home test. What makes doctor’s office tests a preferred option for allergy sufferers? Accuracy is top of the list, but there are other pros and cons to keep in mind.

Blood test

A blood test is drawn to measure the Ige found in your blood after exposure to an allergen. It’s an effective way to test for allergies to many allergens, including environmental allergens or foods.

A Total IgE test looks at the antibodies in your blood sample, but it won’t tell you what you’re allergic to. You’ll want a Specific IgE test to see what item your blood’s antibodies react to. These tests are best for identifying a sole allergen.

Lung test

Lung tests are used for asthma related to allergies. It measures how easy it is for you to breathe after exposure to an allergen. You need to do this test under a doctor’s guidance in case you have a severe reaction and cannot breathe due to swelling in your airways.

Oral food challenge

One of the most effective ways to determine if you have a food allergy and its severity is an oral food challenge. You eat the food under a doctor’s supervision and wait to see the severity of any reaction. This is a test that is administered in an allergy doctor’s office due to the risk of severe reactions that could require medical intervention.

Patch test

Most people think of the patch test when thinking of an allergy test. Different allergens are swabbed onto your skin, and a patch covers that area. A day or so later, the tape is removed to see if your skin reacted to that allergen. 

It’s a useful tool in diagnosing allergic contact dermatitis. If you deal with skin irritation after using certain skin products or touching certain plants, a patch test is the best way to diagnose what you’re allergic to. You can test for dozens of allergens at the same time, which makes it handy to rule out several possible allergens at once.

Skin (intradermal) prick test

A skin prick test is also useful in diagnosing allergies in a similar manner as a patch test. The difference is that the allergen is pricked or scratched onto the skin so that it goes under the top layers of the skin. It’s a good option for determining sensitivity to dozens of allergens at once.

Statistics on Their Effectiveness

The accuracy of doctor’s office allergy tests is better. One study found that environmental allergy tests in a doctor’s office were 90% accurate. In addition to higher accuracy, you add the benefit of getting some of or all the cost of testing covered by insurance and doctor-recommended allergy medications or immunotherapy treatments.

A company that manufactures food allergy tests for doctor’s offices claims to have accuracy rates of 98%. You get higher accuracy with a doctor’s office test.

Ultimately, it’s your choice whether you use an at-home allergy test or go to Premium Allergy. Our allergy doctor provides both testing and immunotherapy options that ease and even end your symptoms. Schedule an appointment to learn more.