Nov 07, 2015 01:04 AM EST By J Dionne, UniversityHerald Reporter

New research suggests that it is unlikely for siblings to share the same food allergy. 

Researchers from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) found that 53 percent of siblings of children with food allergies had a food sensitivity, but only 13 percent had actual food allergy, UPI reported.

"Too often, it's assumed that if one child in a family has a food allergy, the other kids need to be tested for food allergies," Ruchi Gupta, lead study author and ACAAI member, said in a statement.

Food allergy testing in siblings of kids with food allergies should be limited to decrease the negative consequences of a potential misdiagnosis.

"Testing for food allergies if a reaction hasn't taken place can provide false-positives, as we saw in our research. More than half the kids in the study had sensitivity to a food, but they weren't truly allergic. Kids who have food sensitivity shouldn't be labeled as having a food allergy," Gupta explained.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from more than 1,000 children who had a sibling with a food allergy, HealthDay reported. The food allergy status of the 13 percent of study participants who actually had a food allergy was determined by taking a clinical history to find if there had ever been a reaction to a food. An allergic response to a food can include vomiting or stomach cramps, hives, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in the throat, dizziness or feeling faint.

"The risk of food allergy in one sibling, based on the presence of food allergy in another, has never been completely clear," Matthew Greenhawt, allergist and study co-author, said in a statement. "This perceived risk is a common reason to seek 'screening' before introducing a high-risk allergen to siblings. But screening a child before introducing a high-risk allergen isn't recommended. Food allergy tests perform poorly in terms of being able to predict future risk in someone who has never eaten the food before. Our study showed that testing should be limited in order to help confirm a diagnosis, rather than as a sole predictor to make a diagnosis."

The findings were presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting.

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