26180 Allergen, Beta-Lactoglobulin, IgE (BLAC)

​Milk Component

Testing for IgE antibodies may be useful to establish the diagnosis of an allergic disease and to define the allergens responsible for eliciting signs and symptoms.

Testing also may be useful to identify allergens which may be responsible for allergic disease and/or anaphylactic episode, to confirm sensitization to particular allergens prior to beginning immunotherapy, and to investigate the specificity of allergic reactions to insect venom allergens, drugs, or chemical allergens.

Testing for IgE antibodies is not useful in patients previously treated with immunotherapy to determine if residual clinical sensitivity exists, or in patients in whom the medical management does not depend upon identification of allergen specificity.

Some individuals with clinically insignificant sensitivity to allergens may have measurable levels of IgE antibodies in serum, and results must be interpreted in the clinical context.

False-positive results for IgE antibodies may occur in patients with markedly elevated serum IgE (>2,500 kU/L) due to nonspecific binding to allergen solid phases.

Clinical manifestations of immediate hypersensitivity (allergic) diseases are caused by the release of proinflammatory mediators (histamine, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins) from immunoglobulin E (IgE)-sensitized effector cells (mast cells and basophils) when cell-bound IgE antibodies interact with allergen.

In vitro serum testing for IgE antibodies provides an indication of the immune response to allergens that may be associated with allergic disease.

The allergens chosen for testing often depend upon the age of the patient, history of allergen exposure, season of the year, and clinical manifestations. In individuals predisposed to develop allergic disease, the sequence of sensitization and clinical manifestations proceed as follows: eczema and respiratory disease (rhinitis and bronchospasm) in infants and children less than 5 years due to food sensitivity (milk, egg, soy, and wheat proteins) followed by respiratory disease (rhinitis and asthma) in older children and adults due to sensitivity to inhalant allergens (dust mite, mold, and pollen inhalants).

Detection of IgE antibodies in serum (Class 1 or greater) indicates an increased likelihood of allergic disease as opposed to other etiologies and defines the allergens that may be responsible for eliciting signs and symptoms.

The level of IgE antibodies in serum varies directly with the concentration of IgE antibodies expressed as a class score or kU/L.