As we have been previously discussing in other articles about health topics, allergies can have a very negative impact in people’s lives, and that is why the allergy test exists nowadays. It is a great resource that healthcare professionals use in order to determine what type of allergy the patient suffers and what the root cause is for it. The article that you are currently reading will give you an idea of the type of allergy exams currently in use so you can have more information on this subject, as allergy cases keep getting so common all over the world. First of all, we are going to start by saying that there are many methods of testing, such as skin tests, elimination-type tests and blood tests (including the radioallergosorbent, or RAST test). They all are based on the same idea: getting all the necessary information to determine what the cause is of X type of allergy in a patient. One of the most common skin methods is the prick test, which involves placing a small amount of suspected allergens on the skin, usually the forearm, upper arm, or the back. After that, the skin is perforated or “pricked” so the allergen goes under its surface. The health care provider watches the skin closely for signs of a reaction, usually swelling and redness of the site and the results are usually seen within 15-20 minutes. Several allergens can be tested at the same time, which is why this type of test is so commonly used.
Skin allergy tests are usually performed to determine the following types of allergies: food allergy, mold, pollen, animal, and other allergies that cause allergic rhinitis and asthma, penicillin allergy, venom allergy and allergic contact dermatitis. Instead of a skin test, an elimination diet can also be used to check for food allergies.
For food allergy testing, another method currently in use is the double-blind test, which involves giving foods and harmless substances in a camouflaged form so that the person being tested and the provider are both uninformed of whether the substance tested in that session is the harmless substance or the suspected food and a third party will identify allergens.
An allergies test is a great source to identify allergens and therefore, it also aids in the selection of the proper treatment for any given allergy patient. There are 2 types of responses: positive or negative, where a positive result means you reacted to a specific substance and a negative response means that your body did not react at all.
The risks related to a skin and food allergy test may include allergic reactions and life-threatening anaphylactic reaction (a severe reaction where the person’s immune system becomes sensitized to that allergen, and on a later exposure, an allergic reaction may occur; this reaction is sudden and severe, so please get your doctor’s advice before treatment.