Consensus statement. Consensus statements.

Instead of a quantitative IgE result, the severity of a clinical reaction should be determined by history and/or provocation testing. Strong consensus	Strong consensus
Reasonable indications for IgE determination are: - reasonable suspicion of IgE-mediated food allergy, - the specific exclusion of an IgE-mediated food allergy, - a life threatening reaction to food, - suspected sensitization to food,which can not be skin tested - conditions that do not allow skin testing or its evaluation (e.g., urticaria factitia, generalized skin disease, administration of drugs that interfere with skin test results), - very young patients (infants or young children), - an expected diagnostic added value of molecular allergy diagnostics	Strong consensus
Total IgE should be determined as an aid to interpretation.	Consensus
For specific questions, IgE diagnostics with single allergens should be used to detect sensitization	Strong consensus
In vitro diagnostics with single allergens may increase test sensitivity, especially for unstable or underrepresented food allergens	Majority consensus
Sensitization to defined allergen components (see tables in 4.2) may be associated with systemic allergic reactions. Their determination increases analytical specificity compared to food extracts.	Strong consensus