This article will deal with the question of side effects of allergy testing. When you want to find out if you have an allergy to some substance, the best way to do this is to go to a doctor for allergy testing. You might be hesitant to do this however, if you fear of negative side effects from the administration of potentially harmful substance to your body.
How allergy tests are carried out
When you go into allergy testing your medical history is taken first in order to find out what you might be allergic to. This will help in pinpointing what allergy you need to be tested for. There are two ways to test do a test for allergy:
Blood test
Blood test is used to see if you get an allergic reaction by injecting the suspected allergen into your body. The results of blood tests might take days to get because the results will be send to the lab.
Skin test
The faster way to do a test for allergy is to use skin testing. Here you will be pricked in the skin with a drop of the allergen. This is done in the back of the forearm. The results come in 20 minutes. The reaction shows in the skin as redness, itching and swelling.
Side effects of allergy testing might include:
– Redness and swelling in the skin
– Queasiness and fainting because of the needle
– Unusually strong reaction to the allergen
– Pain or bleeding at the needle mark
Side effects of allergy testing are usually mild. In rare cases you might get serious reaction, which can be life threatening. Therefore, make sure that you are treated by a specialist. The amount of the allergen that you are tested with should be small enough not to cause serious problems when you are being tested even if you have a severe allergy to the substance.
