Jul 25 2010
What’s Involved In Allergy Testing?
Did you ever wonder what might be involved in having an allergy test? It's ok, nothing to be afraid of. Testing for allergies is quite easy really. A quick test measures exactly what reaction a person may have to a certain set of allergens such as pollen, dust, pet dander, mold, various types of medication and foods such as peanuts.
Basically, there are two known types of allergy tests that are proven to be highly effective. You can have a skin test, which involves a slight prick on your skin, or RAST, which is otherwise known as radioallergosorbent testing, where blood samples are checked.
Tests are generally conducted in a doctor’s office or lab. If you receive the test from an “allergist,” well, think again! - he or she might not be qualified enough to do it! There are some allergy skin testing practioners out there who are not properly qualified.
Skin testing is the most famous type of allergy testing. It’s been in use now for more than a 100 years and it continues to be the preferred test of choice. At the beginning of the test, you should expect to have a slight cut, either through a prick, scratch, or using a puncture method.
After that, a tiny drop of liquid containing the allergen to be tested is placed on top of the cut. Contrary to what you may be thinking, this doesn’t really hurt at all. The cut is far too microscopic to be the cause of any pain. The needle used barely scratches the surface of the skin and it is rare that you will have any evident bleeding.
The skin usually reacts 10-15 minutes after the allergen has been applied. A positive skin test result is indicated by an itchy red or pink bump that starts to form that looks a little like the reaction you would get from a bug bite.
If you get a positive result, this shows that you have an allergic antibody to the specimen that was tested. What that means is that you are probably going to experience some allergy symptoms in relation to that specific substance.
This positive result doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re allergic. After you see the red bump formation, the test will then be followed up by comparing to two other tests with the same allergen as the first, alongside a negative control, such as saltwater and a positive control, a histamine. You will then need to wait to see what, if any, reactions to these two are. These two additional tests are put there to ensure you aren’t simply reacting to the pricking of the needle itself.
If your test results turn out to be negative, even though your history of allergic reactions predict that you should be allergic, you will receive another test. This examination is known as intradermal skin testing.
This involves the injection of a highly diluted allergen under the top layer of the skin. They do this with the aid of a very small needle that doesn't hurt even a bit. This can be done for all kinds of allergies including an allergy test for joint pain in cases where you are suffering from an allergy in this part of the body.
The two skin tests show slight allergic reaction that are so helpful in determining the reactions in common allergies and symptoms. It provides you with some idea of the look and feel of the allergic reaction so you know how to identify whether you’re having an allergic reaction or if it’s simply an insect bite of some kind. This will also make you aware to then be able to avoid whatever is causing the allergic reaction such as nuts, mold spores, cats, dogs, pollen, etc.
Having information about allergy testing will make you prepare for the things that are yet to come. Many people avoid testing because they are afraid about what it involves but the relief they can get from allergy symptoms once they’re informed can really make up for that. This indeed is a sure way to successful allergies relief.
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