A Quick Overview of Allergy Testing

When your body suffers reaction due to things like food, pollens, pollution, etc., it can be said that your body is affected by an allergy. An allergy occurs when your body’s immune system, which can also be considered its defense mechanism, overreacts to something that we eat or something present in the environment. Some of the symptoms of allergy can be:

• Sneezing
• Indigestion
• Skin rashes
• Running nose 
• Itching in eyes
• Watery eyes

To examine which substance is causing allergy, allergy test is performed by the trained allergy specialist.

 Allergies are caused by allergens which are of three types.

• Inhaled allergens-They cause allergy when they come in contact with membranes of nostrils or enter the lungs.
• Ingested allergens-They cause allergy when consumed with food like peanuts, soya, or seafood.
• Contact allergens-They affect your skin and leads to the occurrence of itching and rashes.

Different type of allergy test performed

Skin Test

Skin tests are performed to detect airborne, food-related and contact allergens. There are three types of skin tests namely, scratch, intradermal or patch test.

• Scratch Test

When scratch test is performed, an allergen is dropped in a liquid and this liquid is then applied on a patch of your skin with the help of a special tool. The doctor keeps a close watch on that patch of the skin to see how your skin reacts to that allergen. The occurrence of swelling, redness, and itchiness on the skin proves that you are allergic to that particular allergen.

• Intradermal Skin Test

If the results of the scratch test show ambiguity, doctors tend to use intradermal skin tests. In test, the allergen is injected in your skin in a very small amount and the reaction is monitored.

• Patch Test

In a patch test, an adhesive patch having allergens is stuck to it is placed on your skin. The patches stay on your skin even after you leave the doctor’s clinic. The first examines the reaction after 48 hours of sticking the patch, and then again after 72 hours.

Blood Test

Blood test is usually performed with skin test to diagnose allergy. However, it is also performed under situations where you cannot stop certain type of medications for skin or you are suffering from dermatographism or where you are suffering from skin rashes or lesions. The blood test is called ImmunoCAP and helps in detecting IgE antibodies to major allergens.

Elimination diet

Under elimination diet certain types of food are first removed from your diet and later added back. It helps doctor diagnose the type of food that is causing allergic reaction. Once the doctor confirms that particular type of food is causing allergy, the doctor can eliminates that food from your diet.

If your doctor prescribes you to get allergy testing done, make sure that you visit a good diagnostic centre near you to get the test done. Results for these tests have to be accurate and only a reputed lab can provide accurate results. So, it is important that you search for a trustworthy lab when you are getting allergy tests done.

Pregnancy Test and Its Different Types

Pregnancy can be the most beautiful experience. Every woman once in her life aspire to experience it. However, ascertaining pregnancy status can be another battlefield altogether. Some of the early signs and symptoms of pregnancy can be:

• Missed periods
• Fatigue
• Frequent urination
• Nausea vomiting
• Mood swings
• Swelling and soreness in breasts

However, sometimes these signs and symptoms are not enough. Women must go for pregnancy tests and proper clinical guidance to be sure of pregnancy.

How do pregnancy tests work?

Egg fertilizes in fallopian tubes. Once the egg fertilizes, it gets implanted in the uterus and attaches itself to the walls of the uterus. When the fertilized egg enters the uterus and gets attached to the walls of the uterus, the woman’s body starts producing HCG hormone. The full form of the HCG hormone is human chorionic gonadotropin hormone. This hormone is produced by the cells surrounding the embryo in the uterus. The function of this hormone is to maintain corpus luteum and thereby, stimulate the production of progesterone. 

The purpose of pregnancy tests is to check for the presence of HCG hormone in the female body when the female experiences the early signs of pregnancy. The presence of HCG hormone can be confirmed by doing a pregnancy blood test or the urine test.   

What are the three different types of pregnancy tests?

1. Home Pregnancy Test (HPT)

In the home pregnancy tests, there is a stick on which the urine is dropped to check the presence of HCG hormone. If the chemical in the stick changes colour after coming into contact with urine it means that the female’s body is producing HCG hormones and she is pregnant. Home pregnancy tests give accurate results when done after one week of missing periods. However, it is important to get the clinical tests done and show the report to the doctor to confirm pregnancy.

2. Blood test

Although HPTs are accurate most of the time but is advised that the female should get a pregnancy blood test from the lab near her home. There are of two types – qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative test only checks the presence of HCG hormone in the female’s body. Quantitative test, on the other hand, tells the exact level of HCG hormone.

If you wish to know pregnancy blood test cost, you can visit any nearby pathology lab and even a medical facility. You must know that results of pregnancy blood tests can take a day or two to arrive. However, they are more accurate than HPTs.