Dublin - An online calculator that can predict common food allergies in children has been developed by an Irish research team.
Paediatric specialists at University College Cork have come up with a mathematical model that can pinpoint a child's susceptibility to common food allergens such as eggs, peanuts and cow's milk.
Dr Audrey DunnGalvin and Professor Jonathan Hourihane of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health believe their model can provide a more accurate and safer diagnosis of food allergies than traditional skin-prick tests or controlled tests using “food challenges” that could produce a severe anaphyalatic reaction if the patient is allergic.
“Young children can find the normal food-allergy tests quite stressful and this test will take a lot of the distress out of the process,” Dr DunnGalvin said. - Irish Independent