Milk Allergy Blood Test - More Information

The milk allergy test, also known as a cow's milk allergy blood test and a milk IgE lab test, measures the cow's milk IgE antibody blood level.

Cow milk is the most common type of milk produced commercially. Commercial dairy farming produces most of the cow's milk consumed and used in products. Cow milk allergies are typically due to an immune response to proteins or casein in the cow milk. This type of milk allergy is different from lactose intolerance because it produces an immediate symptomatic response characterized by symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes and hives. In a small percentage of cases, a milk allergy can cause an anaphylactic allergic response. Often, an allergy to cow's milk typically results in an allergy to milk from other animals as well given the similarity of the protein content.

This milk IgE test uses the ImmunoCAP® lab methodology. Cow's milk IgE antibody blood test results are reported in kU/L and can be compared against the IgE antibody reference range provided by the lab to determine the IgE allergy class to cow milk. This milk allergy test is frequently done in conjunction with the casein allergy test. This milk allergy blood test is a component of the food allergy profile.

This cow's milk allergy blood test is less painful and has less side effects than historical allergy testing methods such as the skin prick test (SPT). In the skin prick, or scratch, test, serum containing milk components are injected into the skin. If you are allergic to cow's milk, you will, unfortunately, have a mild allergic reaction and all of the symptoms that go with it. Instead, this allergy blood test can check for a cow's milk allergy without causing an allergic reaction, resulting in a much more comfortable lab testing experience through a simple blood draw.