CHALLENGES & DESENSITISATION
- A Food or drug challenge is conducted if the doctor suspects that you either have outgrown an allergy or that you are unlikely to be allergic to that particular allergen.
- On the day of the challenge you/your child should be well, free from cough, fever, runny nose and diarrhea.
- You or your child should not be on any medications specifically antihistamines 3 days before the challenge. Examples of such medications are chlopheniramine, fexofenadine, diphenhydramine, loratidine, desloratidine, hydroxyzine, cetirizine and levocetirizine).
- Please bring along the food to be challenged. In the case of a drug challenge, when you arrive at the hospital you will be given a prescription and you will need to purchase the medications from the hospital pharmacy.
- Since the procedure may take a few hours to finish please bring along reading material, ipad etc.
HOW THE FOOD OR DRUG CHALLENGE WILL BE DONE?
- The doctor will usually check that you/ your child is well.
- The procedure will be explained again.
- Your child will be given a small amount of the food/drug with an increasing amount over a period of time.
- Once the full dose/ amount is given your child needs to stay for 1-2 hours more to make sure there is no delayed reactions after the challenge.
- There will always be health care personnel on standby throughout the challenge.
- Should an allergic reaction arise emergency medicines will be given immediately and the challenge stopped.
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