Jennifer Schneider Chafen, MD, was a guest on NPR's Science Friday today to talk about her research showing there is no clear criteria for diagnosing food allergies.
Chafen discussed how she and researchers from the Rand Corporation analyzed existing medical literature and concluded there was no universal definition of "food allergy," creating the potential for misdiagnosis of the condition. Part of the problem, researchers determined, lies with standard allergy tests. The two most common diagnostic tests, a skin-prick test and a blood test, are not definitive. If you missed the show and would like to learn more about this research, you can listen to the Science Friday podcast.
Previously: New technology promises more accurate test for food allergies and Stanford study shows lack of criteria for diagnosing food allergies
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