Your doctor may recommend for you to receive an Allergy Scratch Test. This recommendation is typically made for reasons including current condition and/ or ongoing symptoms. Along with an Allergy Impact Questionnaire, this quick and painless tool can help your doctor identify an allergen that may be causing an array of symptoms including coughing, sneezing, watery/itchy eyes and skin, nasal drainage, ear infections, and even asthma.
The test takes approximately 20-30 minutes to perform and includes the application of 58 of the most common and regional allergens known to cause either seasonal or yearlong symptoms.
The allergens are applied to the forearms of adults and perhaps the backs of children depending on their age.
The allergy skin test will include environmental allergens only. No food or insect allergies will be tested for via the skin test. If your provider suspects that you are allergic to these types of allergens, a blood test will be performed.
Yes. Allergy testing is safe and recommended for children aged two years and up.
If you are allergic to any of the allergens applied you may have a sense of itchiness and slight swelling around the area much like that of a mosquito bite.
If this happens your allergy technician will discontinue the test by wiping off the testing extract and clean the testing area with alcohol pads. The results will be determined early.
No. The application device has no needles, and therefore little or no pain is associated with this test. The allergens or extracts used for this test may cause local irritation (itchy skin) at the site of the test. Once an allergen(s) has been identified as positive your doctor may recommend for you to receive immunotherapy as a treatment option.
What is immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy can reduce, enhance, or suppress your immune response.