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We were visiting a relative’s house when we noticed that my nephew’s complained of have itch all over his body. We also noticed that his face was looking red. When his mother checked under his shirt, he had red patches all over his body. We were not sure what it was when suddenly my husband made a guess. He thought that he was probably allergic to the 3 pet cats in our relative’s house. We moved the cats away and gave him some anti-histamine that helped him. Later that week, they boy’s parents took him for an allergy test and found that he was not only allergic to cats, but a bunch of other things as well… Now with the information they knew how to keep him safe, but without the allergy test, they would have found out about the allergies the hard way.
If your symptoms are severe, or if you're not sure what's causing them, a professional diagnosis may start you on the path to finding relief. We have mentioned the allergy test briefly in a previous post, but today I feel, it bears mentioning in more detail
The following are common allergy diagnosis testing methods:
Scratch tests (aka puncture or prick test) These are known to be the most effective type of allergy tests, simply because the results are seen faster and they are more accurate than other types of testing. A skin test will begin with a specific substance being placed directly under the skin through a small prick or puncture. Typically, the general allergens that most react to will be used, including things such as foods, pollens and other foreign substances in which the patient thinks they may be having reactions to.
The allergens will be placed either on the arm or on the back in order to produce the best results. After the variety of allergy substances are pricked, the patient will then have to wait for an average of thirty minutes. Within this time frame, the specific substances in which the patient is allergic to will show up with a reaction on the skin. This will also be shown with a level of severity, usually ranked from a scale of 1 to 4. With the smaller reactions of 1, there will only be a slight mark. With the reaction of 4, the patient may break out in hives or a larger rash. This will be measured and analyzed for a complete result of how allergic one is to the substance that has been tested.
Intradermal test In this test, a small amount of the potential allergen is injected just under the skin. After about 15 minutes, the doctor or nurse will look at how your skin reacted.
Patch test In this test, an allergen is applied to a patch, which is then placed on the skin. In order to determine a reaction, you must wear the patch for about 48 hours, after which you will return to the doctor for evaluation
Allergy blood test In this test, called a specific IgE, or RAST (radioallergosorbent test), a blood sample is taken to determine the presence of specific IgE antibodies
The presence of these specific allergic antibodies can determine which allergens cause a person's allergic reaction .
Hope this helps! Until next time!
Posted by Shilpa Vir at 1:02:02 AM, EST
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