Allergy Testing
Are there any allergy testing side effects?
What about allergy testing in children? Who can be tested for allergies?
How is allergy testing done?
Which test method is best?
Skin tests give fast results. They usually cost less than allergy blood tests. What are the negatives? Some medicines can interfere with the tests. Also, the skill of the tester may affect the results. The test should be done by a person with lots of training.
Blood tests are helpful because they involve a single needle prick. Medicine does not interfere with the results. However, it takes a long time to get the results, and depending on the test, there can be false positives. Blood tests cost more than skin tests. There are many of types of allergy blood tests. Some types are more helpful than others.
Each test method has pluses and minuses. The test results alone do not diagnose allergies. All test results, from either type of test, must be interpreted together with the medical history.