World Asthma Day

Asthma and Allergy Tests

In this age of modern medical science, several avenues of treatment have opened to help prevent or minimize the incidence of health problems. In the case of ASTHMA, one such means of prevention is allergy tests.
Allergies can often blow up into asthma attacks. Triggers for allergy can range from certain foods to dust and pollen. If you are allergic or asthmatic, avoiding these triggers is the key to prevention. Allergy tests are helpful in determining what triggers an allergy that, in turn, can bring on an asthma attack.

Some common allergy tests include:

Skin Tests

Skin Prick Test: a drop of a suspected allergen is pricked on the surface of the skin. The test is performed on the back or forearm. If you are allergic, you will have redness and swelling at the test spot.
Intradermal Test: a small amount of the suspected allergen is injected into the skin of the arm or forearm.
Patch Test: an allergen is put on a patch that is stuck to the arm or back. You'll have to wear a patch for about 48 hours in case you have a delayed reaction to the allergen.

Blood Tests

Allergy blood tests are referred to as immunoassay tests and include:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, or EIA)
Radioallergosorbent test (RAST)

Allergy blood tests usually screen for at least 10 of the most common allergy triggers, including dust, pet dander, trees, grasses, weeds, and molds related to where you live. They are also particularly helpful in diagnosing food allergies.

Most hospitals with an asthma department have facilities for asthma-related tests and carry out treatment for asthma. Asthma, at times, can also become an emergency situation and, in that event, it is best to take the patient to a hospital with 24 Hours Emergency facility.