How to ensure reliability in allergy and intolerance tests?

March 18, 2025
Proficiency Testing

To ensure reliable laboratory tests, laboratories must adopt well-controlled methodologies and rigorously monitor analytical performance.

Millions of people live with allergies daily, facing reactions that range from mild discomforts to significant impacts on quality of life. To ensure accurate diagnoses and effective treatments, reliable laboratory tests are essential.

The WHO estimates that 70% of medical decisions are based on laboratory tests. However, for laboratory tests to contribute to safe medical practices, it is crucial to ensure quality at every stage of the process.

The quality of these tests depends on the adoption of strict controls that guarantee the reproducibility and accuracy of results – a key step in providing better well-being for patients.

How to ensure the reliability of your tests?

Controllab, a leader in laboratory quality control in Latin America, offers Proficiency Testing (PT) programs, also known as External Quality Control (EQC) and Internal Quality Control (IQC), specialized in monitoring the analytical performance of different allergens and food intolerances.

Discover the allergy programs available:

Programs	Available Tests	Available Services
Allergy I	Dust Mites and Dust
Allergy II	Seafood and Fish
Allergy III	Animal Epithelia
Allergy IV	Fungi and Yeasts
Allergy V	Dairy, Eggs, and Wheat
Allergy VI	Insects
Allergy VII	Oily Seeds and Nuts
Allergy VIII	Fruits
Allergy IX	Food Colorants

Proficiency Testing, also known as External Quality Control.

Internal Control

In addition to the allergy-focused programs, Controllab also offers solutions for evaluating intolerance tests, allowing laboratories to expand their operations with safety and reliability:

Food Intolerance
Evaluation of IgG antibodies specific to 217 foods.

Genetic Lactose Intolerance
Analysis of the 13910 mutation, associated with lactase persistence.

Controllab provides third-party internal controls that make a difference. These materials identify variations that go unnoticed by analytical system manufacturers, offering more reliable analysis. These controls typically include interlaboratory results across different systems and faithfully reproduce the performance of patient samples.

Controllab’s External Controls are conducted according to ISO/IEC 17043. Both these and the Internal Controls provided by the company are designed to meet national regulatory requirements, such as the Brazilian standard RDC 786/2023, as well as international standards.

These programs help laboratories monitor the quality of their tests, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and continuous improvement in analytical performance.