How much does it cost to check for food allergens?

At present, the cost of routine food allergen testing in China ranges from a few dozen yuan to three to four thousand yuan. If most people do routine screening, it can basically be done for one hundred to three hundred yuan.

A while ago, I went to several medical institutions with my cousin who gets swollen after eating mangoes. The prices were quite different. The community hospital downstairs only charged 86 yuan for the most basic 8 ingestible allergen pricks, including the most common allergens such as milk, eggs, mango, shrimp and crab. The results were available in 20 minutes on the same day. During the pricking, several small needle holes were inserted into the arm, which was a little painful. My cousin, who is afraid of pain, couldn't accept it. Later, we went to the dermatology department of a public tertiary hospital. The doctor said that if we were afraid of pain, we could choose to do a blood test for serum specific IgE. For 14 items, it would cost 260 yuan. Including the general outpatient registration fee, it was less than 300 yuan. We had to wait until the next day to get the results.

However, if you look at the "full coverage of hundreds of allergens" promoted by private institutions and physical examination centers, you will find that they often charge one or two thousand, and the more expensive ones can reach three or four thousand. There are actually many pitfalls here that are easy to step on. Many people don’t understand the difference between allergen testing and food intolerance testing. Institutions often bundle the two together and sell them in a package, with the price rising several times. My best friend stepped into this trap a while ago. Her two-year-old baby kept getting eczema repeatedly. She spent 2800 to check for 108 food intolerances at a private institution recommended by a maternal and child blogger. The results were taken to a pediatrician at a tertiary hospital. The doctor said that it is currently recognized by the academic community as being able to diagnose IgE-mediated acute food allergy. The only tests available are prick tests and serum-specific IgE tests. This hundreds-of-item IgG food intolerance test cannot be directly equated with food allergy. In fact, her child only needs to check about 10 conventional IgE items, and it will take more than 200 items to find out that she is allergic to milk protein. There is no need to spend more than 2,000 yuan. Of course, some clinicians believe that food intolerance testing can be used as an auxiliary reference for people with recurring chronic urticaria and long-term diarrhea who cannot find a clear cause, but there is no need to choose a large package as a routine screening item.

Price levels in different regions will also affect prices. For example, in tertiary hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the price of the same project may be tens to a hundred yuan more expensive than in third- and fourth-tier cities. These are normal fluctuations within the scope of medical insurance reimbursement. In many areas, medical insurance can also reimburse part of the cost of allergen testing, which means you will have to pay less out of pocket. If you only feel uncomfortable eating certain types of food occasionally, you should first go to a public medical institution to do 10-15 routine food allergen screenings. If you really don’t need to go there, just choose a package with hundreds of items, and there is no need to spend thousands more for nothing.