By Josh Moran. Josh has been suffering from different allergic reactions for a long time without relief. It’s only after he used ELISA testing that he knew exactly what was causing his allergic reaction. Visit his blog to learn more of what he knows about allergies.
Many people out there suffer from food allergies. You might start wheezing after eating some types of food or get teary and itchy eyes after dusting the house. Perhaps you are the type that knows the seasons have changed with sniffles and sneezes.
Allergy blood testing can be one of the best ways that can help determine what triggers your allergy symptoms and this way your doctor will know what type of treatment is best suited for you.
How the Testing Works
Allergy blood test detects the amount of specific antibodies in your blood. When your body comes into contact with an allergy trigger, which is also referred to as allergen, the body automatically produces antibodies against it.
The antibodies cause the cells to produce certain chemicals. These chemicals are the ones that bring about allergy symptoms.
Allergy blood test in most cases screens for at least 10 of common allergy triggers. These allergy triggers include dust, weeds, grass, pet dander and molds. The test is also very helpful in detecting food allergies.
Types of Allergy Blood Tests
Allergy blood tests are commonly referred to as immunoassay tests and they include;
- ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)
- RAST ( Radio allargo sorbent test)
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is the most commonly used allergy blood test and has almost fazed RAST out. This test is used to measure the specific allergen in the blood.
The RAST test also looks for specific allergen-related antibodies in your blood to help identify the allergy triggers.
Why Allergy Blood Tests?
In most cases, skin allergy test is used to determine whether or not you are suffering from allergies. Below are some of the instances when allergy blood tests can be ordered instead of the skin allergy test:
- If you have an unstable heart condition.
- When you are on medication that might affect the test and cannot be stopped for some time. Some antidepressants, antihistamine and steroids are some of the drugs that can affect some tests.
- If you are suffering from severe skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.
- If you are so scared of the numerous needle scratches that are required in skin testing then this is an option
- If in the past you have had a severe case of reaction after skin testing or you suffer from anaphylaxis which is a life threatening skin reaction.
- To determine how well the allergy treatment is working.
- The test can also help determine whether you have outgrown the allergy.
Allergy blood test results
When an allergy blood test comes out positive, it shows that allergy specific antibodies were detected. In this case, it means that you are suffering from an allergy. The blood test will reveal exactly what you are allergic to.
It is also important to note that, the test can reveal that you are allergic to something when you are not allergic to it at that particular moment.
All allergy blood test should only be interpreted by an allergy specialist.
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