Food Allergy Tests | Allergy Tests
There are two common types of food allergy tests which are blood test and skin test. Skin scratch test is done by dropping a small amount of the allergen substance onto the patient’s skin surface. If the patient’s skin, where the substance is dropped, turns red or becomes swollen then it is read as positive on that specific substance. Skin test on food allergy is simple, fast and safe.
Determining food allergy through blood test, or radioallergosorbent testing (RAST), measures particular allergic antibodies from a blood sample. This specific food allergy test is the oldest form of testing but has become more useful in determining and managing food allergies. Patients who undergo blood testing for food allergies will not develop allergic reaction due to the test conducted. However, there might be side effects on the patient when blood is extracted such as fainting, excessive bleeding and infection.
Between skin testing and blood testing, blood testing is more expensive. Patients will also have to wait for a week or so for the results to come out. Skin testing on food allergy is still the better test.
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