Allergen Testing Specialist | Skin Prick Test

Allergen Testing

An allergy is the body’s abnormally high sensitivity to certain substances resulting in exaggerated reactions in the target organs leading to symptoms like itchy eyes, sneezing, runny or blocked nose, cough, breathing difficulty, itching, or skin rashes. Dr Parthiv Shah is an Allergy Specialist in Borivali

The most common allergens include dust mites, pollens, molds, animal dander nuts, spices, milk, and eggs. The house dust mite is the most common cause of allergies.
The most common allergic diseases are allergic rhinitis, asthmatic bronchitis, allergic conjunctivitis, urticaria (hives), allergic dermatitis (skin), and food allergy.

Indications of allergy testing

• Allergic Rhinitis
• Asthma
• Food Allergy
• Atopic dermatitis
• Insect bite hypersensitivity

Testing For Allergy

• Allergy Blood test: Blood tests measure the amount of IgE antibody circulating in the blood. In general, these tests are not specific to a particular allergen and are therefore not easy to interpret; both false positive and false negative results are possible, and the presence of IgE in a test does not necessarily mean that the substance is actually causing the patient’s symptoms.

These tests are non-specific and thus not recommended.

• Allergy skin prick test: Carried out by the pulmonologist or an allergy specialist in Borivali. Skin Prick Test is a simple, safe, and quick test, providing results within 15-20 minutes. The skin prick test introduces a tiny amount of allergen into the skin, eliciting a small, localized allergic response, in the form of a wheel (bump) and flare (redness) at the site of testing. These tests can be carried out on all age groups. The test allergens are selected following a discussion with your clinician’s history, environment, and dietary habits. Skin prick testing demonstrates an allergic response to a specific allergen. Skin Prick Test can help to confirm the presence of an allergy to pollen, food, dust, mites, molds, and animal danders.