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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffAllergy skin testing is widely used to diagnose allergic conditions such as:
- Hay fever
- Allergic asthma
- Dermatitis (eczema)
- Food allergies
- Penicillin allergy
- Bee sting allergy
Skin testing can be used for people of all ages, including infants and older adults. Sometimes, however, skin tests aren't recommended. Your doctor may advise against skin testing if you:
- Take medications that interfere with test results. These include antihistamines, many antidepressants and some heartburn medications. Your doctor may determine that it's better for you to continue taking these medications than to temporarily discontinue them in preparation for a test.
- Have a severe skin disease. If conditions such as eczema or psoriasis affect large areas of skin on your arms and back — the usual testing sites — there may not be enough clear, uninvolved skin to do an effective test.
- Are highly sensitive to suspected allergens. You may be so sensitive to certain substances that even the small amounts of them used in skin tests could trigger a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
Blood tests — technically called in vitro allergen-specific IgE antibody tests — are particularly useful for those who shouldn't undergo skin tests. Although blood tests can be as accurate as skin tests, they're not performed as often because they can be less sensitive and are more expensive. If you want to start immunotherapy, which is a series of injections intended to increase your tolerance to allergens, you need either a skin or blood test to identify the specific substances that trigger your allergies.
- Tips to remember: What is allergy testing? American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/whatisallergytesting.stm. Accessed Feb. 24, 2009.
- Allergy testing. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.acaai.org/public/background/testing.htm. Accessed Feb. 24, 2009.
- Demoly P, et al. In vivo methods for the study of allergy. In: Adkinson NF, et al. Middleton's Allergy: Principles and Practice. 7th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2008:1267.
