Allergy Testing

Allergies result when the body's immune system fails to function normally. In this situation, the immune system "overreacts" to some substance(s) in the environment (pollen, grasses, danders, dusts, or foods). The body's reaction may take the form of sneezing, watery eyes, itching, rashes, or, in the more serious instance, anaphylaxis.

The goals of allergy testing are to safely identify the substance(s) to which a patient is allergic. The patient may then avoid them and plan a regimen of desensitization. Using desensitization, the patient is given successive small doses of the allergen to cause a decrease in the body's overall allergic response to the allergen. The allergen may be introduced by scratch test, skin injection, or patch test. Skin injections are useful for identifying substances that cause hives, runny nose, itching, or asthma-like symptoms. Patch tests are useful for identifying exposures that cause rashes. These tests are often performed and analyzed by an Allergist who specializes in the treatment of asthma and related allergic conditions.

***** REMEMBER *****

1. Although rare, there is a small risk of the patient having a major allergic reaction to a skin test. It is better, however, that the reaction occurs in a controlled environment where treatment can be rendered swiftly and expertly.

2. Desensitization is not 100% effective, but it improves the condition of approximately 60% of patients.

MEDICAL TESTS

Abdominal Ultrasound
Abdominal X-Ray
Allergy Testing
Amniocentesis
Amylase Blood Test
Angiodynography
Angiogram
Arterial Blood Gases
Arthrocentesis
Arthrogram
Barium Enema
Blood Chemistry
Blood Coagulation Test
Blood Cultures
Blood Glucose Test
Blood Test Smac 25
Bone Marrow Biopsy Aspiration
Cardiac Catheterization Angioplasty
Cardiac Enzymes
Cholesterol Blood Test
Complete Blood Count
CT Scanning Back
CT Scanning Chest Abdomen
Drug Levels
Glucose Tolerance Test
Hepatitis Blood Test
HIV Blood Test
Kidney Biopsy
Kidney Blood Test
Lipoproteins
Liver Biopsy
Liver Blood Test
Lymph Node Biopsy
Mononucleosis Test
Paracentesis
Peritoneal Lavage
Pregnancy Blood Test
Prostate Specific Antigen
Skin Biopsy
Spine X-Rays
Thyroid Biopsy
Thyroid Blood Test
Toxicology