What Is Allergen Testing and How It’s Carried Out?

It is quite important to know whether your baby’s body has an allergic reaction to certain substances. You can avoid the use of those things if find out about such substances. Allergen testing is performed to find out allergies and prevent them. This post will reveal some important details about allergen testing and the benefits of this procedure.

Why Allergen Testing Is Important?

People suffer from several skin diseases due to coming in contact with allergens. Patients often get treatment only to relieve the symptoms of an allergic reaction. They do not try to reveal the cause of allergies. Thus, they do not get the best treatment to cure the root cause of the problem.

Allergen testing reveals whether a person is allergic to certain substances or not. You can find out what you should not touch, inhale, or ingest to avoid allergies.

How Does Allergen Testing Work?

The allergen testing method involves the use of enzyme immunoassay to spot allergens. It is a painless and the most accurate way of detecting allergens quickly. This technique quantitatively and qualitatively detects allergens in the collected plasma or serum of the patient.

Some patients have immediate allergic reactions. They occur and recover quite fast in such conditions. If a patient has type I allergy, it becomes quite daunting to conventionally detecting allergens.

Some individuals are allergic to certain kinds of foods. They show allergic symptoms a few days after consuming the food. Delayed symptoms cause misdiagnosis of allergic reactions. Symptoms may indicate other diseases, but the treatment does not work. The patient should take the IgG test to find out an allergic reaction.

What Are the Types of Allergen Detection Tests?

Many kinds of allergens are responsible for allergic reactions. Therefore, different methods are used to detect allergens and provide the best treatment. Continue reading to reveal different kinds of allergen detection tests.

1. Phadiatop or Inhaled Allergen Screening Test

It’s the initial step to detect atopic allergic reactions. This screening method can detect allergens such as dust, fungi, pollen, dander, mites, etc. Suppose a person is experiencing an allergic reaction due to airborne allergens, the phadiatop screening result will be positive.

Positive test results reveal the patient is experiencing health issues due to an allergic reaction. Allergen testing will further reveal the type of allergen causing this problem. If Phadiatop test results are negative, it’s not a common allergen causing health issues.

2. Fx5e or Food Allergen Screening Test

This allergen screening test is performed for milk, soybeans, eggs, peanuts, fish, and wheat. If a person is allergic to peanuts, the test result will be positive. Suppose the child gets positive symptoms, it will be sure that allergic reactions occurring due to the food. 

The doctor might suggest specific testing to find out which food is causing allergies. This allergen testing procedure will reveal specific food to avoid. Thus, future health problems and allergic reactions can be cured based on knowledge of the allergens. If results are negative, the allergic reaction can occur due to other types of allergens.

3. TIgE or Total IgE

This test determines the total quantity of immunoglobulin E in the blood. If the result shows high levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), it’s a symptom of allergies. If the value measures below 60ku/L, the symptoms are not occurring due to an allergen.

The patient might need to take Fx5E and Phadiatop allergen tests to ensure the symptoms are not caused by allergic disease. Suppose you get the test results above 60ku/L, it indicates allergic reactions. The patients will need medical aid to cure the symptoms.

4. Allergen-Specific Immunoglobulin E Test

This test is performed to find out the specific allergen responsible for health problems. If a person is allergic to fish, milk, dust mites, pollen, or dog hair, the test result will reveal the allergen. The result also shows how allergic a person is to certain allergens. You get the result between 0 to 6 levels. 0 means no allergies at all and the 6th level indicates that you are extremely allergic to certain allergens.

What Are Different Allergen Detection Methods?

Allergen detection methods can be divided into two categories, which are In Vivo and In Vitro Tests! Let’s explore both methods in details:

In Vivo Testing

This testing involves applying several allergens to the participant to find out which affects him the most. In Vivo Testing is performed in the following way:

• Intradermal test: An intradermal injection is used to assess the skin reaction to the allergen for a certain period. It reveals whether certain allergens cause a skin reaction or not.

• Point prick test: It is also known as a special intradermal test. The observer will drop the prick test solution on the patient’s skin. If an allergic reaction occurs, it will help in determining the allergen.

• Patch test: Doctors perform this test to diagnose contact dermatitis. The observer will apply the reagent to the skin and observe how your body reacts. An allergic reaction will prove an allergy to the applied substance.

• Cosmetic allergy detection: If certain cosmetic ingredients or products cause blisters and skin reactions, this test will reveal them.

In Vitro Testing

It involves a sensitivity quantitative allergen detection system. This technology has helped in identifying a combination of allergens affecting people. It reveals a variety of allergens causing health problems and affecting the good health of patients.

A food tolerance test is also performed to identify foods that cause allergic reactions. Problematic foods are detected and removed from the diet after assessing the results. Thus, In Vitro Testing reveals many types of allergens causing health problems.

What Are the Common Allergens?

People have allergic reactions to the following types of allergens, which affect millions of people:

1. Respiratory tract allergens

Allergens such as pollen, dust mites, cotton wool, room dust, lampblack, polluting elements, etc. come in this category. These airborne allergens cause allergic reactions when inhaled by a person. They float around and frequently inhaled by the babies. Thus, they have symptoms of allergies, such as coughing, sneezing, etc.

2. Ingested allergens

These allergens include foods, such as fish, milk, shrimp, eggs, bamboo shoots, peanuts, potatoes, etc. They cause allergic reactions when consumed by a person and ingested.

3. Contact allergens

These substances cause allergic reactions only when a person touches them. These allergens include camphor, sulfa ointment, iodine, cosmetic products, mercurochrome, plastic toys, rubber glue, etc. These allergens cause allergic dermatitis and health issues like asthma and allergic rhinitis.

4. Inoculated allergens

These allergens are injected into the human body through bugs, penicillin, and other mediums. Their allergic reactions can cause severe health conditions.

5. Cold air allergy

Some individuals are allergic to cold air. They have allergic reactions when they come in contact with cold air. It affects people mostly in the summertime when room AC is on and temperature changes frequently.

6. Infectious allergens

Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, common pneumococcus, Klebsiella pneumonia, respiratory fusion virus, adenovirus, etc. are known infectious allergens. These allergens can cause an asthma attack in babies and young children.

What Should You Do To Prevent Allergies?

You should take the following precautions to prevent allergies:

1. Keep the house clean all the time

You should clean your home time-and-again to keep airborne allergens out of the house. The baby may inhale them and have allergic reactions if the house is not clean. The same problem will haunt adults also. Therefore, you should wear a mask and pick a vacuum cleaner to clean the entire house once a day.

2. Stick to breastfeeding

You can effectively reduce the risks of ingested allergens if you stick to breastfeeding. Mother’s milk is the best food for newborns and 6-12 months old babies. It provides everything the baby needs to strengthen his immune system and prevent allergies.

3. Improve the performance of your immune system

There are several things you can do and many foods you can consume to strengthen the immune system. Exercise daily and eat healthy foods to have a great defence against allergens. A well-balanced diet and a good workout routine will help you in preventing allergies for a long time. Know substances cause allergic reactions and avoid them as much as possible.

4. Prevention is the best defence against allergens

You should be aware of all the allergens. Allergen testing reveals specific allergens affecting people’s life. Know which allergens affect you or your family members the most. Create a secure environment at home or workplace to prevent contact with those allergens. This preventive care will keep you and your loved ones healthy all the time!

Conclusion

Some people are allergic to certain foods, airborne substances, and products. Allergic reactions occur only when a person comes in contact with specific allergens. Allergen testing methods explained in this post helps people in determining which allergens affect them the most.

Knowledge about such allergens can help people in avoiding allergy-causing substances. Therefore, these tests are quite important. The doctor might also order allergen testing when the symptoms of the disease indicate an allergic reaction. There are cutting-edge labs, where you can get quick results to find out allergens responsible for health issues!

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