Henry Ford physicians are experting in the care of asthma, allergy and immune deficiency disorders. All of the physician staff are specifically-trained to evaluate both children and adults.
Highlighted services include:
Evaluation of nasal allergy or suspected food allergy including allergy skin testing.
Comprehensive Asthma Evaluation including administration of anti-IgE therapy for difficult to treat asthma secondary to allergy.
What is allergy skin testing?
Many substances can trigger allergic reactions and these substances are called allergens. To determine whether specific allergens are responsible for your symptoms, your allergist may introduce a small amount of the suspected allergen(s) into your skin by making a small puncture through a drop of allergen extract placed on your arm or back. If you are sensitized to the allergen, within just a few minutes your skin releases a small amount of histamine that causes the area to become red and itchy. This reaction typically subsides with 30 to 60 minutes.
Who should be skin tested for allergy?
Patients that have symptoms suggestive of allergy may benefit knowing which substances trigger their symptoms so that exposure to these substances can be avoided or minimized. Also, allergy skin tests are the basis for selecting which allergens may be useful to formulate vaccines for allergy desensitization injections if these are required for treatment.
Symptoms that may suggestive of allergy include:
itchy eyes, nose, or throat.
nasal congestion, sneezing, and runny nose.
recurrent chest congestion, wheezing or cough.
skin itching, swelling or hives.
food allergies may also cause recurrent vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhea with severe allergy triggering life-threatening reactions called anaphylaxis.
What allergens are usually used in skin testing?
Most allergies are caused by a limited number of allergens that are present in the air including:
products from insects such as dust mites (an insect so small that you cannot see it) or cockroach.
proteins from furred animals (cat and dog are most common).
mold spores that can be found indoors or outdoors.
pollen from trees, grass and weeds.
What else should I know? That diagnosing allergy is based not only on the results of skin tests, but also on the medical history. Allergists at the the Henry Ford Allergy and Immunology Clinic are experts at making a diagnosis of allergy and recommending therapy based on both the medical history and the results of allergy testing.
For more information on allergies, please explore the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Website at www.aaaai.org and click on the “Patients and Consumers” tab.
