Guidelines for which guidance to use
| Condition claimed | Effects of condition | Which guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Allergy to a food | Reacts to specific foods in minutes to hours. | Check medical evidence for diagnostic information and use this guidance if allergy diagnosed with specific IgE blood test or skin prick test. |
| Urticaria | May be related to an allergy or may not.
Do not use this guidance if medical evidence does not confirm allergy |
Check medical evidence for diagnostic information and use this guidance if allergy diagnosed with specific IgE blood test or skin prick test. Most cases of urticaria will not be due to underlying allergy and will be labelled ‘chronic urticaria’. |
| Angioedema | May be related to an allergy or may not. Do not use this guidance if medical evidence does not confirm allergy. Usually not allergy if diagnostic information is ‘angioedema’ | Check medical evidence for diagnostic information and use this guidance if allergy diagnosed with specific IgE blood test or skin prick test. Most cases will be a non allergic condition due to inherited enzyme deficiency (hereditary angioedema) causing spontaneous swelling and abdominal pain. Refer to medical services. |
| Anaphylaxis | Use this guidance. | |
| Hay fever or allergic rhinitis | Rhinitis and conjunctivitis may be associated with asthma. | If asthma is present use the asthma guidance. Use this guidance for hay fever. |
| Oral allergy syndrome | A condition associated with hay fever – allergic swelling of the lips often to fruits during the hay fever season. | Use this guidance. |
| Insect venom allergy bee sting/wasp sting | Use this guidance. | |
| Drug allergy | Use this guidance. | |
| Food intolerance | Symptoms develop hours to days after eating the food. | Use this guidance. |
| Asthma | Wheezing and difficulty breathing due to an allergy | Use the asthma guidance and check medical evidence for diagnostic information. Use this guidance if allergy diagnosed with specific IgE blood test or skin prick test and there is a risk of anaphylaxis. |
| Eczema | Dry, itchy, inflamed skin | Use the eczema guidance for information on eczema care in all cases. Only use this guidance if the claimed allergy causes other effects including a risk of anaphylaxis in addition to eczema. Check medical evidence for diagnostic information and use this guidance if allergy diagnosed with specific IgE blood test or skin prick test. |
