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| Allergy Tests and Diagnosis |
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If you are one of the millions of Americans who suffer from watery eyes, sneezing, or any of the other symptoms that accompany an allergic reaction, you may have just assumed that you do in fact have allergies. The term allergy has fallen into such common usage now that somewhere around a third of all Americans believe - often with no proven diagnosis - that they have an allergy to one substance or another. The good news is that you do not have to assume an allergy exists, because there are a variety of methods your doctor can use to definitively test you for the condition.
These allergy tests involve skin and blood tests that enable your physician to first confirm that an allergy exists, and then to narrow down the field of possible allergen triggers to discover exactly what substances cause your reaction. In the case of food allergies, these allergy tests are usually preceded by tests that involve the recording of the foods that you consume - and the reaction of your body to them - and tests that eliminate various foods from your diet until the doctor is able to determine likely candidates for your allergy.
The standard skin test used for most allergy tests involves the application of a very minute amount of the suspect substance either on or just under the skin of the subject. The three types of skin tests are the skin prick, the intradermal, and the skin patch tests. The skin prick test is performed by placing the suspected allergen on the skin of the patient and either scratching or pricking the skin to cause the substance to enter the skin. When the skin develops a wheal - a raised, reddened area with itching - it most generally indicates an allergy.
When the skin prick test is inconclusive, doctors often turn to the intradermal tests, wherein the substance is actually injected into the skin. Because of the intradermal test's greater sensitivity, it is noted for often producing false positives and indicating allergens where none exist. The skin patch test is used solely to determine skin allergies such as dermatitis. Blood tests for allergies are generally reserved for cases in which the patient is for some reason unable to undergo skin tests. Blood tests rely upon measuring the levels of immunoglobulin E, an antibody produced by the body in response to allergy causing substances.
Testing for food allergies usually begins with an attempt to rule out any potential food intolerances. That is then followed by an examination of your food history wherein the doctor will ask you specific questions about your reaction to various foods. When that history is insufficient for a diagnosis, the physician will usually have you keep a food diary for a given period of time to accumulate more data on your body's reactions to the foods you eat. When neither these tests, nor the elimination diet provide conclusive evidence of an allergy - but you still suffer from reactions - your doctor will turn to skin or blood tests for answers.
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