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.
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