Article

Alcat Test (food intolerance test): Assessment of its Clinical Utility

Abstract

Food allergy is an IgE-type response in which the immune system is involved. And there is an activation of mast cells and basophils that secrete histamine-type immune mediators, such as histamine itself, prostaglandins, leukotrienes and proteases, among others. The diagnostic technique of choice to detect this type of response is RAST. The antigen leukocyte cellular antibody test (Alcat test) is a technique that allows to assess food intolerance in vitro, so that it is a diagnostic tool at the service of dietetics and nutrition. The symptoms associated with food intolerance are usually chronic, and include the following manifestations: gastrointestinal disorders, such as abdominal pain and bloating, vomiting and diarrhea, dermatitis and eczema, migraine, fluid retention, chronic fatigue, rheumatic disorders, and failure of the hypo caloric diet in the treatment of overweight. It is a cytotoxicity test, which starts with a sample of the patient's whole blood, to reproduce as much as possible in the laboratory, the conditions that occur in the body, to which we exclusively add 3.8% sodium citrate as anticoagulant.

Keywords: Alcat Test, food intolerance, cytotoxicity test.