4 Questions to Ask about Allergy Testing

The two tests that we perform at Primary Care Center to diagnose allergies are a skin prick/scratch test and a blood test for food allergies. The skin prick/scratch test is used to test for allergies to insects, medications, environmental and indoor allergens, and different chemicals in skin products. This type of test is done by pricking just the surface of the skin with a needle that is covered in the serum of an allergen to allow the allergen to make contact with the broken skin. Within a few minutes, if there is an allergy to the allergen, a rash, wheal, or hive will appear at the pricking site. This test is usually done for many different allergens at the same time, most often on the forearms of the patient. The allergy testing done using a blood sample is typically done for food allergies and is performed by mixing the blood sample with the potential allergen to see if the exposure of the allergen causes an immune response in the blood. This response is signified by the presence of a specific antibody known as immunoglobulin that only shows up in the blood when exposed to an allergen. The blood test for allergies is not 100% definitive of an allergy, so it is often used in tandem with medically supervised feeding, where the allergy doctor gets the patient to consume the food of concern in a controlled environment to monitor any allergic reactions.

The most common areas of your body that can be affected when suffering from an allergic reaction are the airways, sinuses, and nasal passages as your body attempts to flush out the allergen. It is also very common for people to experience allergy symptoms affecting their entire respiratory tract, cardiovascular system, and gastrointestinal tract, depending on the allergen. So, while the most common allergic reactions involve feeling congested and having a runny nose, the reaction can be experienced almost anywhere in your body if severe enough. Many people will also experience itchiness around their eyes during an allergic reaction.

Many people may not think that their allergies are severe enough to justify undergoing the process of testing or that it is unnecessary, but testing is recommended for anyone who has had their quality of life affected by allergies. However, many people are significantly affected by their allergies, specifically those who are asthmatic or develop life-threatening reactions to their allergens, in which case allergy testing is highly recommended to ensure that they know specifically what to avoid or to receive proper treatments. Allergic reactions can also worsen with time, so if you find that your reactions are becoming more severe, it could be worth visiting an allergy doctor soon to ensure that the reactions are easily controlled.

There is no permanent cure for allergies, but depending on the type of allergy, immunology may be recommended to help the body build up a tolerance to specific allergens, lessening the immune response to allergen exposure over time. Unfortunately, for allergies to any food, the only treatment option available is to avoid the food wherever possible. Allergy doctors can also prescribe antihistamines or nasal sprays to help alleviate some symptoms if the allergies are not super severe or if you are not interested in pursuing immunotherapy. 
 
Allergy tests at Primary Care Center give you precise information about the things to which you are and are not allergic. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you in Webster and Pasadena, TX. We serve patients from Webster TX, Pasadena TX, South Houston TX, Brookwood TX, Seabrook TX, Bacliff TX, and surrounding areas.