Allergy testing today is considered more convenient and accurate than ever before. Millions of people in the United States have allergies. The key to treating them accurately is finding out exactly the allergens a person has reactions to. It is obvious there’s an allergy when an allergic response such as itching, redness or swelling, begin to show after a person is exposed to something they are allergic to.
The body responds to allergens as if they are very dangerous enemies of the immune system. Allergies, most commonly, are things such as dust, plant pollen, mold, food or insect bites. Depending on the allergen, it can affect various parts of the body. Food allergies will affect the intestines, lips and mouth. Allergens that are breathed in with affect the lungs, nose and throat.
There is a variety of allergy testing options available. The most common allergy tests are skin tests. These tests are the fastest and most cost efficient way to obtain results. There are three types of skin tests, which involve placing a small amount of an allergen on or just below the skin to observe if there is a reaction.
The first type of allergy testing of the skin is the skin patch test. A small amount of allergen is placed on a pad that is taped to a person’s arm for up to 72 hours to see if there is a reaction.
The second skin allergy test is the skin prick test. During this test, a drop of liquid containing an allergen is placed on the skin and a series of scratches and pinpricks allows the solution to enter the skin. If the skin becomes itchy and red, an allergy is present in that person to that specific allergen in the solution.
The third type of allergy testing of the skin is the intradermal test. This test is usually used when the skin prick test produces a negative test result but the allergy is still suspected in the person. This test is known to produce false-positive test results and is not commonly used to test for allergies under normal circumstances. This test consists of injecting the allergen-laced solution into the skin to see if there is a reaction.
Skin allergy testing is painless and the result of the tests can usually be obtained within 20 minutes of testing. There are no side effects except for the small reaction of the allergen on the skin. The reaction will usually just produce an itching sensation.
Another efficient way to check for allergies is to have a blood test. Allergy testing on blood is done for people that are unable to have skin tests done and also in babies and small children. This type of testing is not as sensitive as skin testing.
Allergy blood tests look for substances in the blood called antibodies. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is the most common type of blood allergy test used today. It looks for a certain antibody that the body makes in response to specific allergens.
There are no side effects of the blood allergy test except for a needle prick mark. Blood allergy test results may take weeks to obtain because the blood sample must be sent away to a lab.
There are pros and cons to each of these testing methods. The results alone do not diagnose an allergy. A specialist must interpret the result of the allergy test along with the medical history of the patient to determine, with some degree of accuracy, what allergy the patient is suffering from.
Once identified, the next step for the allergy is treatment. There are a few ways to treat allergies, such as medication, prevention and immunotherapy.
The easiest way to treat allergies is to simply remove the allergen from contact with the patient. This method won’t work for all cases but can work for allergies such as food. A person would have to simply stay away from that specific food.
Avoiding the allergen is not always possible. Allergens such as pollen and dust are unavoidable in most cases. Medications can be prescribed to help improve the quality of life of those patients that are unable to avoid allergens in the air and others that are unavoidable. Inhalers are prescribed to those with asthma to help with the battle against allergies.
When an allergen is unavoidable and medications do not control the symptoms, the quality of life diminishes along with health in some cases. Immunotherapy, more commonly known as allergy shots, may be able to eliminate or control the allergy symptoms.
Allergy shots stimulate the immune system to fight allergies. This happens because small amounts of the allergen are extracted and purified and then injected into the patient. The doses start small and as the body gets used to the allergens, the doses are increased. This helps build immunity, over time, to the allergen and relieve the symptoms of the person suffering from the allergy.
The battle against allergies is one that has been fought for a long time. Allergy testing has helped people understand and treat allergies that would otherwise make every day unbearable, in some cases. As research and advances continue in this field, great strides will be made to control and eliminate allergies.