Peanut allergy diagnosis: Moving from basic to more elegant testing

Peanut allergy (PNA) is an IgE-mediated immune disorder, which merits particular attention due to its impact on the health and quality of life of millions of patients worldwide. PNA tends to develop in early life and resolves in only 20% of peanut-allergic children. It accounts for the majority of severe food-related allergic reactions. An accurate diagnosis of PNA is vital. In this review, we present the approach to the diagnosis of peanut allergy, starting from the history and proceeding to measures of overall sensitization and then to component-resolved diagnostics and oral food challenges as indicated. Additional testing in development includes basophil activation testing and determination of epitopes for peanut-allergic responses. Based on the literature, stepwise approaches and predictive models for diagnosing PNA are also presented.