Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis Workup
- Author: Peter N Huynh, MD; Chief Editor: Harumi Jyonouchi, MD more...
Approach Considerations
Workup for pediatric exercise-induced anaphylaxis includes a baseline serum tryptase level, skin and radioallergosorbent testing, and exercise challenge testing.
Baseline Serum Tryptase Level
A baseline level should be normal in patients with exercise-induced anaphylaxis and food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. An elevated level at baseline suggests mastocytosis. An elevated level during an acute attack supports anaphylaxis but is not necessary to make the diagnosis and is not specific for exercise-induced anaphylaxis or food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. A negative test also does not rule out anaphylaxis.
Skin and Radioallergosorbent Testing
Assessing for allergy to foods and environmental allergens with skin testing or radioallergosorbent testing (RAST) for allergen-specific immunoglobulin E ([IgE) may be useful in the evaluation of exercise-induced anaphylaxis if specific co-triggers are suspected, especially in patients with comorbidities of atopy such as allergic rhinitis or asthma. Skin testing or RAST levels are essential to the evaluation and diagnosis of patients with food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis because sensitization to the precipitating food is usually demonstrable.
Exercise Challenge Testing
No protocol has been established for exercise challenge to evaluate patients with exercise-induced anaphylaxis or food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. The Standard Bruce protocol for stress testing has been used by several groups with variable success in eliciting symptoms with exercise challenge.[4, 6, 32]
A positive test is useful in confirming the diagnosis of exercise-induced anaphylaxis. However, a negative test does not exclude the diagnosis.
For food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis, a double-blind, placebo-controlled food-exercise challenge is the criterion standard to demonstrate the association between a specific food and the development of anaphylaxis after exercise. Due to the risk of anaphylaxis, this testing should be performed only by medical personnel trained to treat anaphylaxis.
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