Published: February 2025
Medically reviewed by:
Magnus Borres, Director of Medical Affairs
A quick guide for selecting, interpreting and applying insights with ImmunoCAP Specific IgE blood tests
When patients present with symptoms like sneezing, itchy eyes, and a runny nose, it’s difficult to know the cause. Is it the new puppy, high pollen levels or something else entirely like dust mites? It’s time to test and take control.
Creating a culture of testing helps give patients answers, and Thermo Fisher Scientific is here to support you every step of the way. With ImmunoCAP™ Specific IgE blood testing, healthcare professionals and labs alike can confidently help patients improve their quality of life through informed allergy management.
It’s more important than ever to integrate specific IgE testing in primary care:
Boost diagnostic efficiency by adding ImmunoCAP Specific IgE blood testing to your primary care practice. Here’s a quick guide to confidently select, interpret and apply insights from these tests for respiratory symptoms or to create qualified referrals to allergy specialists where needed.
1. When to consider ImmunoCAP Specific IgE tests
- Look for patients with symptoms such as rhinitis, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing, coughing, wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath.
- In conjunction with clinical history, these symptoms can indicate the patient is suitable for ImmunoCAP Specific IgE blood testing for common respiratory allergens: tree, grass, and weed pollens, dust mites, molds, cat and dog dander, mouse urine or cockroach.¹
2. Proceed with selecting the right test(s)
- Select allergens based on each patient's symptoms and history.
- Utilize laboratory resources—most laboratories offer ImmunoCAP Specific IgE testing to support allergy diagnosis. Contact your partner lab for details.
3. How to interpret results with confidence
- Combine ImmunoCAP test results with clinical insights, like patient history, symptoms, and physical exams, to guide decision making.3,4
Negative test result
<0.1 kUA /l 5
- Consider other causes.
- A negative result for a suspected allergen still aids in patient care.
- Negative results help eliminate unnecessary allergen avoidance or ineffective anti-allergic medications like antihistamines.
Positive test result
≥0.1 kUA /l
- Categorize results ranked from highest to lowest specific IgE sensitizations.
- Provide allergen avoidance plan to keep patient below symptom threshold.⁴
- Reduce exposure to allergens related to patients’ symptoms first.
- Focus first on indoor allergens since these may be easier to control.²
- Prescribe appropriate medications as needed.⁴
- Consider referral to specialists for decision on allergen immunotherapy.⁴
When it comes to respiratory symptoms, let’s test
Complementing patient history, symptoms and physical exams with specific IgE testing gives clinicians valuable insights into suspected allergies, which may lead to better patient outcomes. For patients struggling with respiratory symptoms this allergy season, ImmunoCAP Specific IgE testing helps find the answers.
