Allergy Testing

At a glance,

OVERVIEW:

What is allergy testing?

Allergy testing focuses on allergens such as mold, pet dander, bee stings, and peanuts that might cause allergies. In addition, a skin prick test is required to inject allergens in your skin, to identify raised marks, inflammation, or any rash. At the same time, blood tests help in checking IgE antibodies. All of this aids in taking steps to maintain allergies.

Allergies can be caused when your immune system reaches disproportionately to certain other substances called allergens. For example, if you have observed something unusual on your skin, your body may be undergoing or dealing with an allergy.

Why do healthcare providers perform allergy tests?

Healthcare providers perform tests so you can attend to the underlying issue with the best treatments. Some allergies can be life-threatening, such as Asthma and Anaphylaxis. Without knowing the proper inputs, diagnosis can be difficult. This is why allergy blood tests and regular tests are required to analyze what can be done to avoid the worst-case scenario.

If you are having trouble with Anaphylaxis, we, as your health provider, will recommend you to take a complete allergy test. Because if it is not done on time, you might suffer from some more allergies as its side effects, like hives or swelling, breathing difficulty, and a sharp drop in your blood pressure, leading to an Anaphylaxis shock.

With advancing times, you can now have access to an online digital testing platform. If there is an emergency you can search for “an allergy test near me” and book your slot to avoid any troublesome issues.

How do I know that I need an allergy test?

If your skin reacts to allergens in the air, dust, or pet dander, you might have developed allergic rhinitis. This allergy may cause hay fever, headaches, itchy and watery eyes, nasal blockage, sneezing or runny nose, breathing issues, wheezing or cough, and sore throat.

Then there is food allergy. One should never forget that after 30 minutes, and upto 2 hours of food ingestion, if you suspect any uncomfortability in your skin, it might be the symptoms of allergies. You might observe activities like;

•  Skin allergies such as hives, and facial, lips, and tongue swelling may lead to itching.
•  One might feel respiratory allergy symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, breathing shortage, chest pain, or tightness in their throat.
•  Your Gastrointestinal (GI) might react with allergies like nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and pain, and diarrhea.
•  Others might be Cardiovascular signs like pale skin, weak pulse, dizziness, or lightheadedness.

Some people might be allergic to latex, scents, and metals and may develop contact dermatitis. In these types of allergies, you may feel a burning sensation on the skin, hives, swelling, skin rash or itching, and inflammation.

TEST DETAILS:

What are the different types of allergy tests?

There are various types of allergy testing procedures. Always consult with your healthcare provider before planning for any diagnostic tests. Because they are the ones who will analyze the issues you have been going through and recommend the appropriate test.

1.Skin Allergy Test:

A skin allergy test involves the allergens connected to the air, dust, or other foreign particles. There are two skin allergy tests;

•  Skin patch test
•  Skin prick test

Skin patch test:

Skin patch testing helps determine the substance that causes skin inflammation, also known as contact dermatitis. In addition, patch tests can identify allergy reactions that take a few days to manifest.

In patch tests, there are no needles. Instead, patches with allergens on them are applied to your skin. During a patch test, your skin may come into contact with 20 to 30 extracts of chemicals that can trigger your contact dermatitis. Latex, pharmaceuticals, scents, preservatives, hair dyes, metals, and resins are a few examples.

For 48 hours, you must keep the patches on your back or arm. You should abstain from showering and strenuous exercise during this period. At your follow-up appointment with your doctor, the patches are taken off. Finally, the itchy skin at the patch site may indicate an allergic reaction.

Skin prick test:

Skin prick test, urf puncture test, and urf scratch test identify instant allergic reactions. In adults, the forearm is used for this test, while in kids, sometimes this test takes place on the upper back. This test can analyze at least 50 different types of allergens at once, but usually, this test is held to identify allergies arising due to mold, pollen, pet dander, dust, and food.

In this test, needles or lancets are used, but you need not worry as there is no loss of blood, and you will never feel anything more than mild discomfort.

If you are allergic to any allergens, a wheal-like itchy bump shows up on your skin that will look exactly like a mosquito bite.

2.Blood Test

An allergy blood test works on the blood’s immunoglobulin E (IgE). Antibodies act as proteins that protect your body from several diseases and allergies, such as viruses and bacteria. Whereas, if your body is allergic to any substance, it produces immunoglobulin in reaction to the allergen even if it is harmless. It can be evaluated through IgE and food allergy tests.

3. Food Allergy Test:

A challenging food test is recommended when someone has food allergies. But it is always recommendable to consult your healthcare provider first. For example, you may doubt that peanuts are causing you these allergies, but you are not sure. In such cases, the provider will do this challenging test by feeding you peanuts and understanding whether this is the reason for the allergy or not.

In the same way, some medicines prescribed can cause allergies too. In that case, you should be taking a food challenging test or any other test that would be recommended.

4. Spirometry

Spirometry allergy tests are lung function tests that diagnose any disease and evaluate the risk for lung collapse and other complications before surgery. Your healthcare provider may ask you to pause the related medication, and may assess your breathing, for some time. However, the test is painless.

5. Drug Allergy Test

Drug allergy is a sensitive issue that needs accurate results. According to research, this allergy may occur due to over drug dosage, or it may be a symptom when patients speak up about uncommon reactions after taking a drug. In such cases, a drug allergy test is conducted. Sometimes, drugs that are more expensive or less effective may be used due to incorrect identification of the medication or allergies.

Doctors, while conducting this test, ask their patients some questions which are a part of physical examination. They will ask questions like the set of symptoms, medication time, improvement, or worsening effects of the medicines and provide you with a proper diagnosis accordingly. It can be both a skin and a blood test.

6. RAST Allergy Test

RAST or Radioallergosorbent test is conducted to examine allergies in the blood with the help of IgE antibodies. It is similar to a skin prick test, finding a specific substance that causes the allergy. It is a blood test where the doctor takes out some blood from your vein. Later, to be sent to a lab where the examination occurs.

7.Allergic Rhinitis Test

Allergic rhinitis or hay fever is the most common allergy worldwide. When any foreign particle contacts your nose that causes sneezing, pollen, or other uncomfortability in the skin, it can be called allergic rhinitis.

The main symptoms to identify this allergy are:

•  Sneezing
•  Itchy Nose
•  A runny, blocked nose
•  Scratchy, red, and watery eyes
•  Cough
•  Encountered itchiness on the roof of your mouth.

It can happen within a minute of contact with some external substances. Now, you might be thinking about what causes it; so here it is-

•  Hay fever (pollen from trees, grass, and weeds)
•  House dust
•  Allergies from animals like dogs and cats
•  Wood and flour dust and latex

Most of the time, it is unnecessary to consult a doctor in such cases. Instead, a pharmacist would act like a healthcare provider by providing you with the correct diagnosis.

Generally, two medicines that help in reducing such allergies are antihistamines and decongestant nasal sprays or drops. However, in cases like Eczema and Asthma, this allergy is common.

8.Penicillin-sensitive test

Penicillin sensitivity happens when a person’s immune system overreacts and becomes hypersensitive with the intake of some medicines. In such cases, your healthcare provider might recommend visiting an expert (allergist) if the physical examination does not reach the estimated results.

Penicillin-sensitive is a skin test in which a nurse would inject some pencilin through an injection or needle. If redness, itchiness, and wheal bump occurs, it would be taken as a positive result, and ultimately the doctors will prescribe medicine to the concerned person.

9.Inhalant Allergy Test

Such allergies are harmless and not life-threatening. Sometimes, 3-4 red bumps occur on the skin to showcase that there is some allergic reaction taking place. You can visit the allergist to encounter such a test because your healthcare provider won’t be capable of doing all the proper preparation for it.

First, an inhalant allergy test is less risky and is done through a skin prick test. To know more about skin prick tests, you can assist yourself by scrolling up, where we have elaborated on how it works.

Method:

•  In this test, a tiny drop of allergen is injected into your body for analysis.
•  If your body reacts to the allergen, you feel redness, itchiness, and a bump.
•  If your healthcare provider conducts an intradermal allergy test, the allergens are directly injected into your skin.
•  This test only occurs when the prick test comes negative, but the allergens behave positively.

10. ImmunoCAP Allergy test:

There are various types of allergy blood tests, one of them is ImmunoCAP. It is also known as a Sandwich test because it helps find many allergies with a single test. The cellulose material focuses on capturing a large surface area that provides a high binding capacity to ensure each ImmunoCAP test measures the allergy accurately.

This allergy is commonly found in children of 0-3 years. This allergy is caused due to food allergens such as milk, egg, fish, soybean, and peanuts. The ImmunoCAP test provides accurate results compared to other tests. It studies IgE antibodies in human serum or plasma samples.

Benefits of ImmunoCAP Test

•  It only requires one sample
•  It doesn’t interfere with other medications
•  The risk factor is low even if it is a severe allergy
•  Acquire preferable quantitative results of IgE antibodies
•  Faithful and reputable for children and adults
•  Can count on the best treatment based on the authenticity of results.

11.Phadiatop Allergy Test

Phadiatop performs an allergy screening test with Inhalant allergens. However, it is a mainstream ImmunoCAP Phadiatop test. This test works with all the expected common allergens such as grass, trees, weed, pet animals, and dust mites.

Key points:

•  Multi-allergen test; the mixture of 16 inhalant allergies
•  The test can be positive or negative
•  Allergy testing costs are expensive compared to other tests.

Allergies with asthma and rhinitis symptoms usually require a Phadiatop allergy test. It is always recommended to consult your healthcare provider once. If the test is prescribed, then you can attempt it.

Phadiatop allergy test detects sensitization to regular aeroallergen mixes. In addition, this test recognizes lung disease-related allergies. It is a combination of SPT and allergen-specific IgE tests. The result is quantitative; it can be positive and negative depending upon fluorescence response.

If the results state positive allergy, the fluorescence response is higher or equal to that of reference serum. Whereas, if these responses are fewer, it means the impact is negative.

12. Gluten Allergy Test

A gluten allergy test is essential for someone with higher gluten intolerance. This test is performed when a body has hypersensitivity to Gluten intake. IgG-Gliadin antibodies are counted in this test.

When someone is allergic to Gluten, you may often hear of these three diseases, namely, gluten allergy, gluten sensitivity, and celiac disease.

•  Gluten sensitivity- The mildest form of the allergy
•  Gluten allergy- Severe than gluten sensitivity
•  Celiac disease- The most severe stage.

When facing gluten intolerance, these are the common signs that a person can feel; improper digestion, foggy brain, Eczema, and other skin diseases.

If a person is allergic to Gluten and has been unwell for a long time, it is time to visit a professional. There is a high chance that a person has celiac disease. It is also recommended that related parents, children, or siblings also get themselves screened. There are 1-10 chances of it being detected as a disease or allergy by any of them.

PROCEDURE DETAILS

Why do I need an allergy test?

An allergy test is of utmost importance when conducted under the proper guidance of your healthcare provider. Most allergies are not life-threatening, but it is still suggested that you get tested so that you can be diagnosed at a suitable time.

Can you explain about an allergy blood test?

An allergy blood test is required if a person feels allergic to pollen, dust, pet animals, dander, food such as peanuts, soybean, or any medicines such as penicillin. You can take an allergy blood test after confirming with a professional. It works two ways;

•  A total IgE test is conducted to evaluate cumulative immunoglobulin E antibodies in the human body.
•  Another one is a specific IgE test to detect the responses of immunoglobulin E for a single allergen.

Why is there a need for allergy blood tests?

You need an allergy blood test if you have been suffering with a stuffy and runny nose, sneezing, inflammation, itching, hives, diarrhea, vomiting, breathing issues, coughing, and wheezing.

What can unfold during this test?

During an allergy test, the doctor will take some blood to evaluate the IgE antibodies count. Then, the sample would be placed in a test tube or vial for further investigation. But, of course, the process involves needles, so you may face a bit of discomfort.

What can a person expect at the time of the blood test?

It is no rocket science. You will have to be calm and ready for the test. If you are thinking about preparation, there is no need for it unless the doctor has recommended anything.

What are the steps to conduct allergy testing?

An allergy test can be performed in majorly two aspects;

•  Skin Tests
•  Blood Tests

There are three types of allergies that a person can have through;

•  Inhaled Allergens
•  Ingested Allergens
•  Contact Allergens

A skin test is related to allergens that can assist in identifying the kind of allergy a person has.

In contrast, blood tests are the one that contributes to evaluating IgE antibodies and how they are reacting to a single allergen.

A skin test can again classify into three types of allergy tests: scratch, intradermal, and patch. Often, doctors recommend skin tests, but sometimes allergens and body reactions contradict each other, and the results are inappropriate.

A person can move to an ImmunoCAP blood test for further testing. It is one of the most preferable antigen tests that can provide authentic results.

Is there any risk encountered?

Risk factors change from test to test, but researchers have stated no such harm or risk that could be encountered. There can be a bearable risk, but it depends on how your body responds. Sometimes, at the time of a blood test, some people find clogged blood or a bruise at a spot where the needle is injected, resulting in uneasiness.

How can we have a better understanding of results?

If the results are positive or indicate a high count in a total IgE test, it means that a person is allergic; however, it never clarifies what contents the person is allergic to or how severe the allergy is. This is why you should always let your healthcare provider know about it.

If the results are positive or high in a specific IgE test, it means that your body reacts to some allergens, but it will not analyze the severity.

Based on your reports, if required, your provider might recommend you to an allergist or a treatment plan. It may depend on your earlier detected allergies as well as your current reports.

How do you analyze the normal range for allergy tests?

There are some reference values for a blood test.

How long do I have to wait for the results?

At least 7-10 days are required typically, but sometimes, depending on the circumstances, you might have to wait for several days.

Can we perform an allergy test at home?

You can only do that if your doctor prescribes it. A home allergy test could be riskier, moreover, a proper allergy test should be performed in a particular arena.

What else should I need to know about an allergy test?

There are terms such as false positive and false negative; just take a note-

False Positive: In such a case, the report shows that you are allergic to something but aren’t. It could be because of something you have eaten before this test, which could be one reason for a false positive result. However, these assumptions could be less accurate.

False Negative: Simultaneously, although it is rare but may happen when you are allergic to something severe, but, it doesn’t show the same on your report.

It is suggested to be in contact with your healthcare provider so that they can study your medical history and recommend you to a profound allergist.

About Self-Test Diagnostic

Healthcare is of utmost importance to lead a healthy life. There is a well-known quote that most of us have heard that goes: ‘health is wealth.’ But, many of you might be thinking about the best way to understand your illness and how to get self-tested.

Here at Self- Test Diagnostics, those who are suffering from different kinds of allergies such as hives, swelling, Asthma, dermatitis, rhinitis, food etc. can contact us via a registration form available on our website.

We are a team of board certified Phlebotomists with a minimum experience of five years. Being an online platform, we are serving our society with a home service. Scroll down to know more about us-

Who are we?

Self-test diagnostics is situated in Mumbai. We have a team of expert Phlebotomists with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the field of allergy testing. Being an online platform, we care for our patients. Self-test diagnostic believes in spreading wellness by providing home services.

Here, we ensure that routine health check reports are delivered on time. Although, our tests are conducted with critical quality checks. We also ensure that the samples collection, storage, testing, and report making are undertaken with utmost care.

How does it Work?

•  Our allergists and nurses visit the testers’ home or given address to perform the tests by taking samples.
•  Later, it is sent for further studies, research, analysis, and understanding of your allergy and its causes.
•  If the Phlebotomists find positive or negative results, or any severity, we contact the respective patients and assist them with further updates.
•  We have tied up with some of the leading diagnostics and our policy claims in-hand reports within 24 hours.
•  Our team also shares reports via SMS and email.

Services we provide

We provide each of our patients with necessary assistance, such as

•  Collaborations with some of the famous doctors in the city. We ensure that our patients get the best diagnosis as soon as possible.
•  Here, we avail all kinds of allergy tests.
•  Our patients are privileged with some fantastic deals and packages, awarding them for their loyalty.
•  We tend to develop an understanding with our patients and advise them on some Good and Bad Habits.
•  We accept all modes of payment.

Why Choose Us?

We have everything you are looking for, including the answers to all your questions. Apart from this, the four main vital traits of Self-Test Diagnostic are:

•  An assured 90% authenticity on all our reports. We use the best technology by being tied up with four laboratories in India, including iGenetic Diagnostics.
•  We have a team of certified Phlebotomists with a minimum of 5 years of experience.
•  We are open 7*365 days. You can contact us anytime, from anywhere, between the time frame of 9 AM to 10 PM.
•  We believe in providing personalized and customized complete test packages for our patients.