Researchers at University Hospital South Manchester and Phadia AB in Uppsala, Sweded have developed a new and more accurate blood test for peanut allergy, Medical News Today reports. The test predicts with over 95 percent certainty whether an allergic reaction to peanuts will develop in the tested individual.

An allergy to peanuts is among the most common food allergies in children, and it is also one of the most severe. Although other food allergies, such as those to milk or eggs, for instance, may appear early in life and disappear by school age, peanut allergies tend to be lifelong.

Current standard blood or skin tests for peanut allergy have demonstrated a large amount of false positive results: about 1 in 10 individuals test positive for peanut allergy, but only about 1 in 50 are actually allergic. The new test is much more accurate, giving parents more accurate information about whether their children have a peanut allergy, whether children who are allergic to other foods will develop peanut allergies as well, and whether siblings of peanut allergic children also possess the allergy.

For tools to help keep food allergic children and adults safe, see our Food Allergy/Anaphylaxis Solution Guide.