false negatives to skin prick?

[evester]

anyone ever had false negatives to skin prick tests? 15 month old had some encouraging news. . been advised not to try her with any of the things that showed negative (because she has had reations to them at the weaning stage) until she is about a year older though.

[wb]

My ds tested negative to a skin prick test to cows milk at age 8 mo. but is allergic to it (hives). We go back for repeat testing when he is 18 mo. Until then we were told that a postive reaction trumps a negative test, so avoid dairy totally.

It is rare for skin tests to be a false negative though, false positives are much more likely so your good news may well prove to be true.

[tatt]

yes. The commonest reason for false negatives is that the child had some anti-histamine but that wasn't so for us. I've heard of other cases where skin prick has been negative and food challenge has produced anaphylaxis.

It's good news because most children do outgrow milk allergy and it suggests yours is one of them. It's still best to stick to the advice you were given.

[evester]

thanks. shame there is nothing totally reliable when it comes to allergies. tests were positive to dairy (anaphylactic @ 6 months) wheat and eggs which was no surprise, but got my hopes up when found out that several other things she has had hives to previously were negative and also peanut (which she has never had). We'll just have to wait and see ......

[Chandra]

DS tested negative to skin prick test to cows milk at 3.5 yrs old aprox. Although he had positives in ELISA and RAST.

He can't even have vitamins that contain lactose without complaining of a painfully bloated tummy. He gets a puffed face and gets snotty too. But the skin prick test didn't show anything.

[Chandra]

Oh... and got negative for wheat in glutten in RASt but positives in skin prick test so yes... there's no such a thing as a perfect test.

[Mumfie68]

My son tested negative to eggs, but had an anaphylactic reaction 2 days later. I don't think these tests are particularly useful IMHO.