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.

Eczema is a broad term used to describe different types of skin conditions. The underlying symptom of eczema is inflamed, dry skin that can be easily irritated, resulting in an itchy and painful condition. Although there are up to eight different types of eczema , the most commonly recognized forms are Atopic Eczema and Contact Eczema. Treating atopic dermatitis To date, there is no cure for atopic eczema, but there are treatment options to control symptoms. Studies continue to be carried out for this complex condition in order to come up with an effective solution. A focus has been given to repairing the skin barrier first. If this step isn’t taken, then foreign allergens will continue to enter the skin’s surface, sparking the production of more antibodies. Many treatments help to reduce the symptoms of atopic dermatitis, rather than cure it completely. Treatment involves reducing contact with any known substances that create an allergic reaction. There are many substances which are known to aggravate symptoms such as types of clothing materials, hot water or high temperatures. Like many other diseases, stress has also been considered a common aggravator, therefore a focus is given to methods that help to reduce stress in your life.

Eczema is a broad term used to describe different types of skin conditions. Although there are up to eight different types of eczema , the most commonly recognized forms are Atopic Eczema and Contact Eczema. Notably, both atopic and contact eczema share the same appearance. In determining both atopic and contact eczema, your doctor will take a detailed medical history from you, including if anyone in your family has been known to suffer from eczema in the past. You will be asked the frequency in which you experience the symptoms of eczema, questions about your current diet, the common areas where it occurs on your body, and how long you have been suffering from the symptoms. Diagnosis differs slightly for atopic or contact eczema. If you didn’t experience eczema as a baby or from a young age, nor having it run in your family, your doctor will most likely point towards a diagnosis of contact eczema. A clear family history of eczema or eczema symptoms from a young age will lead down the path of diagnosing atopic eczema. Diagnosing contact eczema You will be asked to consider which possible substances are causing a reaction, for example, if your occupation is cleaning, perhaps there are chemical products you can rule out.