Facts You Need to Know About Types of Allergy and its Testing

Allergies are quite common among individuals and everyone is usually allergic to something or the other. For some people, allergies are mild and do not show any symptoms on a regular basis. However, for many, allergies can cause discrepancy in everyday lives and it can cause lots of trouble in healthy living as well.

Some of the common allergy symptoms include asthma, eczema, headaches, sneezing, fatigue, cough, swelling, loss of appetite and sensitivity to light. Some people might also face dust allergy which can result in major problems when you go out. For a better lifestyle, it is important to get yourself checked and diagnosed so that you can get the right treatment at the right time.

Diagnosing your allergy

The identification of allergies can be a difficult task since allergies can happen with anything and anytime. However, with the advent of medical science, there are a number of tests that can be carried out to understand the kind of allergy that is affecting a particular body.

Diagnosis is crucial if you want to treat any kind of allergy. It is necessary to visit a doctor at the earliest as soon as you see any symptoms that might drift towards an allergy. The doctor will ask you several questions to understand what exactly might be causing your allergy. The questions can range from medical history, diet followed, medicines taken, genetics, etc.

Testing your allergy

There are different kinds of tests that are conducted to diagnose an allergy. Depending on the severity of your allergy, you will be advised to get a particular kind of test done. The first step includes skin tests which are divided into patch test, prick test and intra-dermal test. For the patch test, various allergens are patched on the skin and depending on the reaction, the doctor can notify what is causing the allergy. For the prick test, allergens are put on the patient’s back in the form of a drop. Irritation in the skin can help doctors to determine the allergy. For the intra-dermal test, the allergen is induced in the top layer of the skin.

You might also have to give a blood test to determine your allergy if the skin tests are not sufficient enough. Food allergies can be diagnosed by blood tests. Using CBC (complete blood count), doctors are also able to get an insight into the allergies of the patient.

Using ImmunoCAP test

ImmunoCAPis another sensitive blood test that is used to diagnose allergies. It can help doctors test for hundreds of allergies including food, mold, trees, pollen, weed, animal dander, etc. Furthermore, you can test for all these with just one blood sample so you don’t need to give blood every time. It is also considered precise and accurate and has been endorsed by doctors from the National Institute of Health.

You don’t need to worry if you are facing allergy problems. With the right diagnosis and the correct treatment, you can surely go back to living your normal routine life without any hassles.