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Tests for Allergies
How the latest technology helps you.
Modern allergy tests make life a lot easier.
 Allergy symptoms are responsible for more visits to the doctor's office than any other single disease in the country. Over 40 million Americans (about 1 in 5) suffer from one or more allergic diseases. Allergies are considered a leading cause of school absenteeism, too. Fortunately, your doctor has a wide range of innovative testing and treatment techniques to make dealing with allergies a lot easier than before.
Early allergy discoveries.
Allergy as a recognizable illness is nearly as old as the history of modern man. However, it was not until 1966 that the exact mechanism for the disease was discovered. researchers found that some people produce a "skin sensitizing antibody" called IgE (for Immunoglobulin E).
What causes an allergic reaction?
 A typical allergic reaction happens in the following way:
- Allergens enter the body by: being inhaled as with pollens, dust and animal dander; swallowed as with food or medicine; or injected as with penicillin or bee stings.
- If you are allergic, your body may overreact, causing excess production of IgE.
 Upon further exposure, the allergen binds with the IgE antibody and causes certain cells in your body to release histamine-like substances. These substances cause the allergic symptoms you're all too familiar with, such as: watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, runny nose and rashes.
How allergies are diagnosed.
Accurate diagnosis of your allergy is key to successful treatment. In order to determine the specific allergens responsible, your physician will take the following steps:
History:
 Reviewing history can establish how and when the symptoms appear, whether they are seasonal or year-round, and whether they can be associated with any particular activity, place or exposure.
Physical exam:
Your physical examination will focus on the eyes, ears, nose, sinuses, throat, lungs, skin and gastrointestinal tract. Results of the exam will be more informative if performed "in season," or while the symptoms are at their peak.
Testing:
Until the discovery of IgE, the skin test was the major diagnostic tool for allergies. With this method, approximately 50 to 200 tiny scratches, pricks, or needle sticks are made - usually on the upper back or arm - with small amounts of suspected allergens. After an appropriate time period (10-30 minutes), the skin is observed for any reaction.
TESTS
A new, improved test - RAST.
Soon after the IgE antibody was discovered, researchers began to work on a new kind of test, generally referred to as RAST. Today, after years of clinical testing, RAST is used to help doctors identify the cause of your allergy.
RAST is a laboratory procedure which utilizes a test tube, rather than a needle stick reaction, as in skin tests.
A small part of your blood sample is mixed with different allergens and observed for a chemical reaction. The laboratory's equipment and computers analyze the reaction and measure the amount of IgE for each allergen. Results are grouped into classes from zero (negative) to five (high positive). Your doctor will discuss the importance of these results with you.
 The advantages of RAST testing:
Convenient.
Since a single blood sample is used to test for many allergens, and serum may be stored for later testing, fewer patient visits are required. It is easier to subject children to one needle stick for a RAST than multiple needle sticks for skin tests.
Safe.
 RAST measures only IgE, and is not affected by any medications you may be taking.
Dependable.
Strict laboratory procedures are followed to provide precise and accurate results. RAST is one of the most sensitive methods available today - it can detect even mild allergies.
We're here to help.
This office has the newest diagnostic testing and treatment procedures available to put to work for you. We'll perform the appropriate test, develop an effective treatment plan and provide helpful hints to help make living with allergies a lot easier.
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