Kids Allergy Testing: Detailed Guide for Parents

Does your child frequently sneeze or have a sore throat? It may be due to allergy. A recent study states, six out of ten children have the problems of itchy eyes and sneezing. According to OKC doctors, allergy testing is the easiest way to diagnose the prevalent symptoms.

To have a clear understanding, you need to know some certain things. Our body’s immune system produces antibodies to fight bacteria, viruses, and toxins. Likewise, your child’s body acts in the same procedure. Sometimes their body reacts with dust particles or an egg bite. As a result, it sends chemicals to swell the nose lining, which causes sneezing and congestion.

Allergy testing can be very useful to treat or reduce the exposure of known allergens. In this article, you will get to know about different types of allergy tests.

• Preparation for allergy testing

Allergists will do a skin test by placing allergens beneath the skin. There are three types generally- skin prick test, patch test and intradermal test. Besides, the allergist will study the blood that is removed from the skin. As per a skin specialist, skin tests are better than blood tests. Amid this, allergy tests have better results.

Before scheduling the tests, inform the doctor about the existing medications your child is taking. Also, talk to your kid before the allergy testing takes place. You can bring toys to keep your kids engaged while waiting for the results.

• Skin prick test

Skin prick test or scratch rest is useful for detecting environmental allergies. It is a common method as it offers immediate test results. Besides, it is less traumatic than a blood draw. For getting the accurate results, the test will include histamine and glycerin. These are used as controls to make the child skin acting normally. Histamine may cause skin reaction. On the other hand, glycerin will cause no reaction.

• Patch test

To determine the skin rash cause, patch testing can be very helpful. It mainly determines the dermatitis that appears within 96 hours after the substance exposure. According to the skin doctor, unlike the skin prick test, patch test needs multiple visits.

• Blood test

Apart from the aforementioned options, blood test involves testing blood in the lab. Doctors do this test if your child has any of the certain skin conditions. It is also used if there is any chance of severe allergic reaction.

• Schedule your appointment

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**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.