Understanding Egg Allergy: When Does Anaphylaxis Occur?

To be completely honest, you should refer back to your allergist to understand your specific situation. I only have allergies; I am not a medical professional. Everybody has different reactions, and the same test results may not apply to everyone.

High False Positive Rates in Skin Prick Tests

There are high false positive rates with the skin test. Even if you do have a dietary allergy to egg protein, it doesn't necessarily mean that the next encounter with an egg will result in anaphylaxis. There are degrees of sensitivity. Discuss this with your allergist, not on online forums like Quora.

Comprehensive Diagnosis Requires More than a Skin Prick Test

I sincerely hope that your allergist did not diagnose you with an egg allergy and tell you to stop eating eggs based on a skin prick test alone. Over half of all skin prick tests show positive results to foods to which the patient is not actually allergic, as reported by FARE in their article on Skin Prick Tests.

To determine if you are truly allergic, a good allergist must take into account your medical history. If you eat eggs regularly with no reaction, you are likely not allergic. On the other hand, if you have had allergic reactions while eating eggs, you are likely allergic. If you are unsure, a blood test can provide additional information, but you may need to do an oral food challenge, which is considered the “gold standard” of food allergy testing here.

Baked Eggs: An Avenue for Tolerance Building

Also worth considering is that about 3/4 of people who are allergic to eggs can still eat baked eggs. So, it is possible that even if you are truly allergic to uncooked eggs, you can still have eggs that have been baked at 350 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. In fact, eating baked eggs can actually help you outgrow your allergy to uncooked eggs, as reported in the Allergy Breakthrough on Baked Milk and Egg article by Allergic Living.

My daughter used to be anaphylactic to uncooked eggs but was fine with baked eggs. We regularly gave her baked eggs and, after a few years, her allergist thought she was ready for an uncooked egg challenge, which she passed! She still tests positive as “allergic,” but we now know that it is just another false positive.

Depending on your specific case, your history of eating eggs both baked and uncooked may indicate that you should challenge baked eggs and/or uncooked eggs to see if you are truly allergic. Always consult with your allergist before making any dietary changes based on test results or personal experiences.