Sep
11
2011

There are Several Articles on Allergies to Help Research the Condition

So now that you know that you have allergies, it’s time to figure out what allergen or allergens you are allergic too. There are many different possibilities on the identity of what the substance is that’s triggering the immune system to react the way it is. Curiosity about allergy testing drew me to some online articles on allergies that discuss the two methods of allergy testing. One method to test for what allergens are triggering the allergic reaction is by doing a skin test. This test is oftentimes used more than the other method, a blood test, due to being less expensive and able to determine results quicker. The articles on allergies go on to explain that there are three main types of allergy skin tests. All three of the skin tests, involve a nurse or doctor placing a small amount of the allergen on or below the skin to examine the reaction. The intradermal test is used when the nurse or doctor injects a small amount of the allergen into the skin. A skin prick test is used when the nurse or doctor drops a small amount of the allergen onto the skin and pricks the skin with a needle allowing for the allergen to enter the skin. The skin patch test is used when a nurse or doctor tapes a pad that includes the allergen onto the skin and leaves it there for 24-72 hours. When examining all three of the end results, if a red or itchy area occurs this is an indicator that you are allergic to that specific allergen. Allergy blood tests look for level of antibodies in your blood stream. Certain antibody levels will be higher in people that are affected by allergies.

Comments are closed.