Methods of Allergy Testing your Doctor Might Recommend
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Your doctor may recommend a variety of allergy testing to diagnose your condition if you suspect you may have an allergy, but are uncertain as to the allergen causing your malady.
Since many tests work better than others depending on your specific allergy, it is recommended that you make sure you are familiar with the various kinds of allergy tests prior to making an appointment with your doctor. The basic tests fall into three areas: Scratch tests, elimination tests, and blood tests.
Scratch Tests
The scratch tests are the most common of the allergy tests that are done. This test consists of placing a small amount of the suspected allergen onto the surface of the patient’s skin, and then making a scratch or prick to allow the substance to penetrate the skin. The site is then observed closely for indication of an allergic reaction.
Then, the site is observed to watch for an allergic reaction such as swelling, redness, or itching. A result is often seen in as little as twenty minutes with this particular method of allergy testing. The advantage to this is that many other types of allergens can be tested at the same time. Therefore, this makes this method most useful when the allergen is not known, is an airborne allergen, or an allergy from foods and insect bites.
Elimination Diets
If a food allergy is suspected, the elimination diet may be performed. A variety of foods that are potential allergens are eliminated form the diet for several weeks. Each food is then gradually added back to the person’s diet, with attention being mad to see which of the selections of food is causing the allergy symptoms to return.
Each food is then introduced gradually back into the person’s diet, carefully monitoring to determine which selections cause the allergy symptoms to return. This method works best on mild allergic reactions, but can also be potentially dangerous for severe allergies. If a severe allergy is suspected, a third method of allergy testing is preferred to ensure a life-threatening substance not enter into the system in any way.
Blood Tests
A RAST, or radioallergosorbent test, is the final type of allergy testing that is commonly performed. This is achieved by using blood drawn from the patient. It is then examined for the presence of immunoglobulin (Ige) antibodies. This indicates whether the immune system is producing an allergic reaction to the body. These Ige’s tell your doctor if you are allergic to certain allergens, although this testing does not tend to be as accurate and precise as other methods used.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Good informative post. I luckily don’t have allergies but am keeping this blog bookmarked for some family that does. I’ve got a similar blog on healthy life choices, tell me what you think: Reap A Destiny