Diagnosis: There are numerous factors involved in an accurate diagnosis of allergies. The two key steps in the process of allergy diagnosis include a medical history and allergy tests. A patient’s medical history is as important as the results of an allergy test. It is the critical link between the disease and the test results. Before a medical test is conducted, your doctor will probably need to know the type of symptoms you are suffering from, how often they occur, and if anything, in particular, seems to trigger them. If you don’t seem to find a connection between the allergy and its trigger, you may be referred to an allergist for further tests. The following tests may be carried out: Skin prick testing: Also called scratch test or puncture, this test is used to provide immediate results to as many as 40 allergies at once. Skin prick testing is normally used to test allergic reactions to foods, dust mites, pets, mould, pollen, and others. This type of allergy testing is not painful; the needles (lancets) used barely penetrate your skin, so there is no bleeding or scarring of your skin. Patch tests: In this type of testing, a small amount of suspected allergen is taped to your skin using special metal discs for about 48 hours, and observed for a reaction.

Over 50 million Americans have allergic reactions to something. But not all allergies are the same. Here is a rundown of some of the most common allergies and their symptoms: Food Allergies According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food allergies affect over 6 percent of children and 4 percent of adults in the United States. Although most common in babies and children, food allergies can occur at any age. In fact, you can develop allergies to foods you’ve been eating since childhood. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), soy, wheat, shellfish, fish, tree nuts, peanuts, milk, and eggs account for about 90 percent of all food allergies. Symptoms of food allergies include: Stomach cramps Vomiting Dizziness Pale or blue coloring of the skin Weak pulse swelling of the tongue, which may affect the ability to breathe or talk Shock or circulatory collapse Repetitive coughing Wheezing Tight throat Shortness of breath Hives Anaphylaxis, which can impair breathing and send shock waves throughout the body. Sometimes, reactions can instantaneously affect different parts of the body (e.g. have a stomach ache, accompanied by a rash). Allergic Rhinitis Allergic rhinitis (also known as hay fever) is a type of allergy associated with runny (often stuffy) nose, skin, mouth, and eye irritation.

Allergies are a hypersensitive immune reaction to substances that enter or come into contact with your body. Such substances include bee venom, pollen, mold, penicillin, dander, peanuts, dairy, and much more. These “allergens” can be found in foods, drinks, medications, pets, and the environment around us. Whenever your body encounters allergens, it produces substances known as antibodies to chemically fight them off. It is this interaction between the allergen and the antibodies that cause an allergic reaction. Allergies are very common. They are sure to affect more than one out of four people at some point in their lives. The condition is much more common in children than in adults. In fact, a team of researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine claimed that an estimated 8 percent of children in the United States have some kind of food allergy. Moreover, around 30% percent of children with allergies have allergic reactions to more than one food substance, and 38% percent have a history of anaphylaxis reactions, such as an acute episode to an antigen such as a bee sting. Another study, published in the September 2013 issue of JAMA Pediatrics, revealed that allergic reactions to food substances cost the US approximately $25 billion annually.