What is the Importance of Allergy Tests in Immunotherapy?

In recent years, immunotherapy has been among the most preferred approaches to deal with seasonal and regular allergies. When you consult with any immunologist, you will notice that they will perform an allergy test. Do you know why? As per the country’s leading immunologist and researcher Dr. Kanury Rao, allergy testing is a crucial step in deciding the allergens or substances that are causing issues.

Based on their testing processes and findings, they further determine what is required to deal with that specific health condition. Since the immune system of every person reacts differently, they may have different allergens such as pet dander, pollen, mold, dust mites, latex, bee or other insect stings, allergies with food i.e. soy, milk, peanuts, fish, etc. Hence, your healthcare provider must conduct a test to decide the root cause.

For more details regarding the same, keep on reading.

What are the different types of allergy tests?

Several ways are there that can be used by an immunologist to conduct allergy tests. The selection of the method will depend on the symptoms, current health conditions, age, and so on. Kanury Rao has mentioned the following tests:

• Scratch or skin prick test

In this test, your immunologist will use a thin needle. They do this to prick a small part of the skin. This is specifically from the back or forearm wherein allergens are available. Apart from this, they can also put some droplets of the potential allergen and make the best use of the device to scratch the skin. This will allow the droplets or liquids to enter the skin. However, you may notice some reactions like redness, wheals (round spots), rashes, etc. To determine the allergens, this is the most common test.

• Patch test

If you are having dermatitis, then an immunologist will conduct a patch test. In order to perform this test, a professional will place some drops of allergens onto the skin. After this, they will use bandages or patches to cover that area. You will need to leave that patch for at least 48–96 hours. Once this duration is completed, they will remove those patches or bandages to see the skin for reactions.

• Intradermal skin test

When the results of the skin prick test are inconclusive or negative, an immunologist will go for the intradermal skin test — Dr. Kanury Rao. For this, they will inject a smaller amount of the potential allergen into the skin’s outer layer. The objective of this test is to check how your skin reacts when it comes into contact with an insect sting, medication, etc.

• IgE or blood test

This is yet another common test conducted by immunology professionals to determine the allergens. For this, they usually take some blood from your body and send it to a lab for proper checking. In the lab, a professional will add an allergen to your blood samples. They do this to measure the IgE or Immunoglobulin E.

• Oral challenge test

This particular test includes the consumption of the potential allergen. This is specifically used when a person has an allergy to specific drugs or food items. When this test is conducted, a patient will be kept under their professional supervision.

What is the importance of allergy tests in immunotherapy?

When you are going through an allergy, a certified professional will perform allergy tests — Kanury Rao. They will also conduct these tests if you are having issues such as asthma. Through these tests, immunologists can find out the suspected triggers.

In case you have chronic allergic reactions i.e. anaphylaxis, it becomes mandatory to opt for allergy tests. Since this can be a life-threatening issue and can end up with swelling, hives, dangerously dropped blood pressure, difficulty in breathing, and so on, you must not ignore the symptoms.

By conducting tests and assessing the health history, immunologists will determine the severe reactions. Whether you are at risk of anaphylactic reaction or already dealing with it, you should not ignore the importance of allergy testing.

How to know if you need allergy tests?

An allergy can affect different people differently. This means the symptoms of allergies may vary from one patient to another even after having the same allergies. If you are allergic to air allergens such as pollen, pet dander, dust, etc., you can have allergic rhinitis. Besides, you can have the following symptoms when allergy tests are a must:

• Hay fever
• Sore throat
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Chronic cough
• Nasal congestion
• Watery and itchy eyes
• Headaches

If you have any food allergy and related symptoms, then you will experience a bit of different conditions. Some issues have been listed below:

• Itching
• Swelling on lips, tongue, face, etc.
• Hives
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Respiratory issues such as throat and chest tightness, coughing, wheezing, etc.
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Weak pulse
• Lightheadedness
• Pale skin
• Dizziness

Takeaways

You may also get skin rates, blisters, itchiness, swelling, hives, etc. if you are allergic to metals, latex, fragrances, etc. — Dr. Kanury Rao. Lastly, you should also speak to your healthcare provider or immunologist when there is an allergy bothering you or affecting your daily life.