In other cases, the physician may order allergy tests and ask the patient to keep a detailed food diary to help determine the trigger or triggers. In this test, the patient is exposed to very small amounts of various foods. If one of them provokes signs of anaphylaxis, the mystery is solved. Once a food allergen is identified, the patient must take great pains to avoid eating it again. That includes asking about all of the ingredients in any food or dish that may contain it.
Children are especially at risk of encountering a problem food when they are away from home.
Older children must be trained to ask the ingredients of any foods they eat. For younger children, the child-care provider or other adult who supervises them must accept that responsibility. As Carol's experience shows, however, exposure can't always be prevented. That's why anyone who experiences anaphylaxis must have the proper medications on hand to treat it. The drugs available today have vastly improved physicians' ability to diagnose and treat diseases.