Seeing your little one with itchy eyes and a skin rash is hard, and it’s even harder when you don’t know what’s causing it. That’s where allergy testing comes in.
When To Schedule an Allergy Test
Schedule an allergy test if your child starts exhibiting one or more of the following symptoms:
- Trouble breathing
- Hives or itching
- Sneezing
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Red or watery eyes
- Swelling of the face, mouth, throat or tongue
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
What Does an Allergy Test Entail?
We’ll use one or more of the following to diagnose your child’s allergies:
- Skin prick or scratch test. During the skin prick test, we’ll mark your child’s arm with possible allergens, then use a thin needle to prick their skin with small amounts of liquids containing the different allergens. Alternatively, we’ll place droplets of the allergen on their skin and then gently scratch the area. After about 15 minutes, we’ll measure the reaction on the skin to determine whether there is an allergy to the substance.
- Intradermal test. During an intradermal test, we all inject a small amount of allergens into the outer layer of the skin. We may use an intradermal test if the skin prick testing was inconclusive.
- Blood test. We use a blood test to measure the amount of the allergen-specific antibody, called immunoglobulin E, in your child’s blood. We typically use a blood test to confirm the results of a skin test or, if the allergy is severe enough, to replace skin testing.
Before we conduct any allergy test, we’ll walk your child through what the testing entails so that they feel comfortable before we start.
Getting Results
After we get the results of your child’s allergy test, we’ll go through them with you and, if your child is old enough, with them as well. Once we have identified the allergen causing their symptoms, we can get them started on an avoidance and treatment path:
- Avoidance. We use allergen avoidance to minimize your child’s risk of an allergic reaction. For example, if we identify an allergy to grass pollen, we may advise them to cover their skin on days when they visit Riverfront City Park.
- Treatment. Depending on the severity of your child’s allergies, we’ll recommend either medication, immunotherapy or a combination of the two. Allergy medication provides short-term symptom relief. Immunotherapy is a longer-term approach. It works by gradually exposing your child to an increasing dose of the allergen their immune system reacts to. Research shows that children under the age of five can safely undergo immunotherapy, but most experts recommend waiting until after age five so children are old enough to explain their symptoms and understand the injections.
If your child starts exhibiting any of the above allergy symptoms, contact Willamette ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery to schedule their allergy test today.
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“I came to be under Dr. Donovan's care during a medical emergency at the hospital. The care I received that day and in every interaction after, at Willamette ENT has been prompt, professional and very thorough. I feel very well cared for.”