Overview
An overwhelming number of persons experience conditions like asthma and allergies. Based on how frequently occurring these conditions are, it looks as if it is very simple to have the condition diagnosed and effectively treated by any healthcare provider. But not just any doctor can treat allergies. A specialist doctor known as an allergist is fully qualified to treat the condition because they have the special knowledge with which they can:
- Test for allergies.
- Diagnose the cause of the allergy.
- Determine possible triggers of your allergy.
- Treat symptoms and offer preventative care.
- Plan your treatment specifically for your condition to improve.
- Offer you care that’s cost-effective, which brings optimal results.
Consulting an allergist to carry out skin allergy tests has many benefits for you.
Read more: Post Nasal Drip – What Causes it?
Your initial appointment
Take a trip to an allergist should you think you’re prone to allergies though it hasn’t manifested, or should you be unsure of what triggers symptoms of your allergy. When a special doctor cares for you, the condition will improve significantly.
At your appointment, the allergist will do the following:
- Dig into your health history. The doctor will ask about the symptoms you’re experiencing, your health condition, and if a close relative has asthmatic or allergic symptoms like skin rash, hives or hay fever.
- Discuss your symptoms. You will be asked when symptoms usually appear, their frequency of occurrence and potential triggers. Your work and lifestyle will be questioned to see if there could be any pointer to detect your allergy seamlessly.
- Carry out tests for allergy.
- Exam your body physically.
Combining a patient’s medical history and performing the appropriate tests are important for a functional diagnosis. The skills of allergists come into play to aid patients to recover and live a healthy life, and it’s a lot of work.
Testing for allergy
Regardless of age, both kids and adults can get an allergy test. Following your initial consultation, an allergy test can be performed on you. When the result is known, and the doctor has provided a diagnosis, they can discuss your allergies and even tell you how to treat the condition.
For diagnosis, a blood test, skin test or both may be required of you. Whatever test for allergy you are doing, it’s safer to have it with a skilled provider who, in this case, is an allergist. They are professionals well trained to diagnose and treat allergies.
For allergies triggered by pollen, dust mites, drugs, certain food types, venom, latex or other substances, the blood test and skin test for allergy can be used for diagnosis. Experienced allergists prefer skin testing for allergies. And this option typically offers the highest test accuracy. There are cases where blood tests for allergy can be requested.
Selecting the most appropriate test to support the diagnosis is of utmost importance. This isn’t an easy task based on a couple of reasons. Patients who have allergies respond to many allergens, but their clinical allergies are narrowed down to one or numerous particular substances. Choosing the tests that identify the exact allergen responsible for the symptoms of an allergy is the job of an experienced allergist.
The allergist must possess this knowledge as various factors impact the outcome of an allergy test. Knowing what exactly is setting off a patient’s definite allergy gives an allergist the best knowledge to treat each patient.
An allergist with Board Certification is a reliable specialist that can help keep your asthma and allergy in check so you can enjoy good health. It is known to these specialists that allergy tests are different. They are constantly learning and relearning systems that are most effective and how results change due to the effect of lab practices.
Random ordering of allergy tests is not suitable. What determines the choice of the test are symptoms, age, hobbies, work and home exposures. Interpretation of every result is based on the health history of patients.
Common allergens like pet dander, mould, dust mites, pollen, including food allergies, can be tested. Medicinal allergies can also be done for drugs like penicillin.
Read more: 9 Tips for Getting Rid of Dust Mites at Home
Allergy test types
Skin test
This test type is ideal and combined with medical history to pinpoint a patient’s definite allergens.
Kindly note that medications can impact skin tests. So, whatever kind of medication you are taking, let your allergist know.
The cost of skin tests for allergic persons is higher than a blood test, and you can perform it in the allergist’s office. Again, faster results come out of skin tests.
Although allergy tests appear to be easy, take care to have them done by experts who understand that there are risks and variables involved in the test. How much the practitioner performing the test knows also affects test result precision.
A skin test must perform as follows:
- test reading will measure on the basis of reaction levels
Types of skin tests include:
- Prick or scratch test. The commonest type of skin allergy test. As the name implies, droplets of your allergen will carry out by a thin needle used to prick your skin, or after dropping or scratching into your skin. Another name for this test is the percutaneous test.
- Intradermal test. This one checks for allergic reactions to penicillin and bee stings. A small quantity of the allergen will inject beneath the outer skin using a thin needle.
For over a century, skin tests have recorded success when used to test for allergies. The commonest type of skin test in application is the prick or scratch test. They are minimally intrusive and produce fast results when used on many allergens. Where a prick or scratch test gives a negative result, an intradermal test may necessary to make the cause of allergy symptoms clearer.
While the test is going on, allergy symptoms may show up, with the commonest being itchy and swollen skin. Severe reactions will visible, but it’s rare, as a trained expert will perform the test.
Blood test
Here, blood sample will collect and result of this test will not interfere by medicine. But test result do not come out quick and could be false positives following the test. Compared to a skin test, a blood test is pricier. Blood testing for allergies are of many types, and some perform better than others.
People getting a blood test for allergy may experience discomfort or bleed at the puncture site. Several persons are likely to faint when taking a blood test.
Diagnosing allergies
When it comes to allergy diagnosis, skin and blood tests are not enough. Every test outcome, be it skin or blood, should interpret considering your health history.
You can compare the importance of medical history to an allergy test result when considering allergic diseases affecting humans. This is because medical history links a result of an allergy test with the allergic disease. Comprehensive information is provided by this history, such as your general health condition, your reaction to different allergens, the symptoms you experience from time to time in a year, and more.
Where the outcome of a blood and skin test does not match the details of a patient’s medical history or are inconclusive, allergists give the final diagnosis allergies using their experience, training, the patient’s physical exam and medical history.
FAQs on skin testing
Who performs skin tests as a diagnosing for allergies?
Allergists are specialist doctors who carry out testing, diagnosis and treatment of allergies.
What should be my expectation during a skin test?
The test takes place on several allergens. Putting the allergen on your skin will take around 5 to 10 minutes. For adults, the allergen will place on the forearm. And for kids, it’s on the back. You will have to wait for around 15 minutes if any little red bump shows up on the site where you receive the allergens.
What preparations should I make for the test?
Let your doctor know about any medications, including the over-the-counter types you are taking.
Avoid antihistamines 3 days to a week of the allergy test. Find out when you should discontinue use from your allergist. You can continue taking asthma medications and nasal steroids as they don’t impact test results. Before the test, discuss which medication you should take with the allergist staff.
How safe is allergy testing?
Skin testing for allergens is not harmful as doctor uses just a small quantity of allergens on your skin for the test. Most importantly, the allergist is on the lookout for any chronic reaction, which rarely happens. So, you can rest easy.
What is the meaning of skin test results?
Where you overreact to an allergen and the test you had after a prick or scratch test or intradermal test, a little red lump may show up on the spot on the testing area. You may experience itching on the same spot; if the lump is large,your sensitivity increases.
A result of this nature is positive by interpretation, implying you may be responsive to the allergen.
Note that you may be allergic to a substance as shown by a skin test; however, a later exposure may not see you reacting to it. The allergist will study your medical history and result from the skin test to detect your allergy.
What if I’m diagnosed with allergies following the skin test?
You will get a unique treatment plan where symptoms will prevent and treat – of course; your allergist will create this.
Adopt the following tips:
Lower your level of exposure to your known allergens. If, for instance, it is pet dander, increase housekeeping and limit playing with your pets.
Keep symptoms on the low by taking medications – those prescribed by your allergists like antihistamines, eye drops or nasal sprays.
If recommended by your allergist, don’t hesitate to get allergy shots. Inability to stay away from an allergen may cause some people to take these shots. Know that the shots are mainly little but increase the quantity of your body-sensitive allergens. This is called immunotherapy. Doctor administers it under your tongue or as shots. The gradual rise in the number of allergens you have received will lower your reaction to them. If you ever expose to the allergen, later on, your symptoms will be low. Even the inflammation associated with asthma and hay fever will reduce to half with immunotherapy.
Is there any insurance cover for skin allergy testing?
Many health insurance schemes cover allergy tests and treatment. Find out the following from your insurance provider:
- If you need your doctor’s referral to see an allergist
- If your insurance coverage takes care of patient education or special services for allergies
- What test for allergy and medication cover under your health insurance
Conclusion
If you are in or around the UK and need to test for skin allergies or run a diagnosis, do ensure you reach out to the best allergy testing clinic in London to seek treatment on time.
