Allergy Testing in Palm Harbor, FL
The initial step in the treatment of an allergy is an accurate diagnosis by an allergist or immunologist. It involves deciding whether the patient's symptoms are caused by an allergy and, if so, determining what triggers the allergy as accurately as possible. The resulting diagnosis will target the appropriate treatment or clinical intervention to allow avoidance of the allergic trigger which will help to eliminate or minimize symptoms.
For questions about allergy testing or treatment, call Gulfcoast Ear, Nose & Throat at (727) 942-4005 to schedule an appointment with an allergy doctor at our office in Palm Harbor, just a short drive from Tarpon Spring, Clearwater, East Lake, and Tampa, FL. ENT Specialist Jose A. Berrios, MD is board-certified and a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Common Allergy Tests
Skin Prick Allergy Test - The skin is pricked by the allergist and a multitude of different allergens are placed on each part of the skin that gets pricked so it can get under the skin. You will wait 20 minutes and Dr. Berrios will look for swelling, redness, itching, or other signs of an allergic reaction. This is the most common test.
Intradermal Allergy Test - In this test, the allergen is actually injected by the allergist into the skin. This is usually to test for allergies from things that naturally get injected into the skin, such as certain antibiotics (penicillin) or bee venom. Sometimes, this is done if the prick test fails by Dr. Berrios has reason to believe you are allergic to an allergen from that test.
Patch Allergy Testing - This test is usually used to test skin reaction to allergens that touch the skin. Allergens are taped to the skin by an allergist for 48 hours, and Dr. Berrios will look at the area in 72-96 hours to look for reactions.
Blood Allergy Test - This test actually looks for changes in IgE antibodies, which are specific to allergic reactions, rather than just skin reactions.
An accurate diagnosis is obtained using a combination of approaches and tests that can include skin pricks and blood tests to identify and confirm a diagnosis. Treatments can include:
Controlling Symptoms of Allergies with Medication
These treatments can be self-administered and do not necessarily need to be based on an accurate diagnosis by an allergist. Examples include the use of over-the-counter medications such as antihistamine creams and steroid creams for eczema and antihistamine pills for nasal symptoms that include rhinitis and seasonal allergies. More serious conditions can be treated with inhalers for asthma, skin creams for eczema and auto injectors for anaphylaxis resulting from, among other causes, insect bites, without having identified whether the condition is truly an allergy.
Avoiding Allergens
This approach is used mainly for allergies caused by food, drugs, venom, latex, and animal dander. This can also include occupational allergies, and to a lesser extent, depending on the suspected cause, asthma, rhinitis, and eczema. When using allergen avoidance, it is important to know that there may be interactions resulting from cross reactions between, to name a few, latex and fruits and vegetables as well as tree pollen and fresh fruits. While it may appear simple, avoiding allergens may be difficult to achieve, costly, and may not be completely successful.
Rescue Medications
This approach is often part of an individual's emergency self-treatment plan for acute attacks such as acute tongue swelling or anaphylaxis that can result from insect bites.
Immunotherapy in Palm Harbor, FL
By administering an allergen either via a beneath the skin (subcutaneous) injection or under the tongue (sublingual) an allergist or immunologist can try to reintroduce a patient's immunological tolerance to a particular allergen. These procedures are typically used to treat allergies caused by pollen rhinitis, venom, asthma and cat allergy. On occasion, the use of drugs to desensitize a patient to a particular allergen can also be used.
Schedule a Consultation for Allergies
For questions about allergy testing or treatment, call Gulfcoast Ear, Nose & Throat at (727) 942-4005 to schedule an appointment with an allergy doctor. Our office is in Palm Harbor, just a short drive from Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, and Tampa.
