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If you have ever suffered from an allergy attack, then you know pretty well that there is more to allergy symptoms than just nasal discomfort. They can have a huge impact on your quality of life and even affect your daily activities.
Allergy testing is usually performed in Singapore to help identify specific allergens. If you suffer from allergies or think you might be having an allergy, it is imperative that you know exactly what might be triggering your allergy problems - and allergy testing is a great way for you to figure out what allergens are causing your allergic reactions.
However, allergy testing is not a straightforward procedure; it is necessary to work with a doctor experienced in allergy testing to detect the primary cause of your discomfort.
Suspect you might have an allergy?
Do not fret about it! Get it tested with our doctor.
Talk to our doctor today!
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Jurong West
The two main allergy testing techniques available in Singapore include the skin prick test and the blood test. Your doctor will choose the best test that is suitable for your case.
During your appointment with your doctor, you’ll be asked a couple of questions to help create a case file. Prior to your visitation, you are highly advised to keep a diary of your symptoms that you suspect are behind your allergy woes. Of course, your doctor will also ask questions regarding your family history, lifestyle as well as any other relevant questions that may be associated with your allergy symptoms.
This information is vital because it allows your doctor to determine the best allergy testing method that is suited to your symptoms and needs. Also, before the test, your doctor will discuss with you all the potential advantages and disadvantages of each test, just to ensure you select the best test that is suited to your needs and preferences.
RAST blood allergy testing is a method used to identify IgE antibodies that are produced toward specific allergens. Currently, there are numerous allergen panels that are testable through IgE antibodies blood test.
This is usually a simple and straightforward procedure that only involves the drawing of blood from the patient. Generally, you’ll have your blood test results after five or seven working days.
A skin prick test refers to a diagnostic procedure that enables your doctor to precisely identify your trigger allergens. It involves using commercial-grade and standardized allergen extracts of a wide range of species-specific allergens such as mold, pet dander, pollen, foods as well as dust mites.
The skin prick test is not only simple and straightforward, but highly effective as well. On most occasions, it is performed on the patient's forearm and sometimes back. A skin prick test evaluates immediate allergic reactions to as many as more than 40 different substances in a single test.
It is not uncommon to experience mild itchiness and redness in the tested body part - these symptoms usually disappear after a few minutes. Your doctor will inspect the tested area for any visible signs of bumpy swelling and redness, and review the extent of swelling. If you experience any reaction toward a particular allergen, you’ll potentially experience swollen hives referred to as wheals at the sections where the culprit allergens were introduced.
Suspect you might have an allergy?
Do not fret about it! Get it tested with our doctor.
Talk to our doctor today!
EXPERIENCED DOCTOR
FULL CONFIDENTIALITY & TOTAL PRIVACY
SAME-DAY TESTING & CONSULTATION
CONVENIENT LOCATION
Raffles Place
Jurong West
The skin prick test is a simple and straightforward procedure that only takes about 20 minutes for your results to be out. On the other hand, you will have to wait or between one and two weeks for your results to be ready if you opt for the allergy blood test.
The skin prick test is relatively more effective and reliable - especially if performed by an experienced doctor.
However, there is a slight possibility of getting back a negative skin prick test even though you suffer from symptoms. In medical terms, this phenomenon is known as a false negative and can occur as a result of a number of factors, including:
If you are on medication, you may want to consider allergy blood tests instead as they are not entirely affect by the type of medications you are on. Nonetheless, there is always a slight chance of a false positive, and this usually causes unnecessary confusion as well as anxiety in allergy sufferers.
| Bermuda Grass | Blomia Tropicalis | Cat Dander |
| American Cockroach | German Cockroach | D. Farinae |
| D. Pteronyssinus | Dog Dander | Alternaria Alternata |
| Aspergillus Fumigatus | Penicillium Notatum | Mugwort |
| Peanut | Shrimp | Soy Flour |
| Wheat Flour | Whole Egg |
| Alternaria Alternata | Aspergillus Fumigatus | Bahia Grass |
| Bermuda Grass | Blomia Tropicalis | Cat Dander |
| Cockroach | Common Ragweed | Curvularia Lunata |
| D.Farinae | D. Pteronyssinus | Dog Dander |
| Dust – Greer | Johnson Grass | Timothy Grass |
| Alternaria Alternata | Aspergillus Fumigatus | Candida Albicans |
| Cladosporium Herbarum | Penicillium Notatum |
| Cat Dander | Chicken | D. Pteronyssinus |
| Dog Dander | Egg White | Fish (Cod) |
| HazelNut | Cow’s Milk | Peanut |
| Shrimp | Soya Bean |
| Anchovies (Ikan Bilis) | Chicken | Cocoa |
| Corn | Egg White | Fish (Cod) |
| Gluten | Honey | Cow’s Milk |
| Peanut | Sesame Seed | Shrimp |
| Soya Bean | Wheat | Yeast |
| Anchovies (Ikan Bilis) | Clam | Crab |
| Fish (Cod) | Salmon | Shrimp |
| Squid | Tuna |
| Blue Mussel | Clam | Crab |
| Lobster | Oyster | Scallop |
| Shrimp | Squid |
| Almond | Brazil Nut | Hazel Nut |
| Macadamia Nut | Peanut | Pine Nut |
| Shrimp | Walnut |
| Egg White | Cow’s Milk | Wheat |
| Peanut | Chicken | Soya Bean |
| Cat Dander | Dog Dander | D. Pteronyssinus |
| D.Farinae | Blomia Tropicalis |
| Egg White | Milk | Wheat |
| Peanut | Chicken | Soya Bean |
| Gluten |
| Almond | Beef | Cockroach, American | Dog Dander | Hazel Nut | Pea | Shrimp (Pacific) |
| Alternaria Alternata | Bermuda Grass | Cockroach, German | Egg | Johnson Grass | Peach | Soya Bean |
| Apple | Cashew Nut | Coconut | Fish (Cod) | Kiwi | Peanut | Squid |
| Aspergillus Fumigatus | Cat Dander | Cow’s Milk | Garlic | Maize Flour | Pork | Timothy Grass |
| Avocado | Celery | Crab | Gluten | Mustard Seed | Rice | Tomato |
| Baker’s Yeast | Chicken | D. Farinae | Goat’s Milk | Onion | Salmon | Tuna |
| Banana | Cladosporium Herbarium | D. Pteronyssinus | Hamster Epithelium | Oyster | Sesame | Wheat Flour |
This is one of the two proven tests for allergies. To be more precise, RAST is an acronym for a radio-allergo-sorbent test.
During this particular procedure, your doctor will draw some blood samples from your body which will thereafter be tested for specific antibodies to help identify your possible allergens.
Allergy blood test boasts a number of advantages, such as:
- It safe for children as well.
- Patients who are currently using other medications can also have this particular test conducted on them because the results won’t be affected by those medications.
- If you are currently suffering from any underlying skin condition, this particular test won’t exacerbate your symptoms.
- Your risk of experiencing an allergic reaction is almost zero!
As earlier explained, a blood allergy test is a relatively more complex procedure. On average, you’ll have your test results after five or seven days. Of course, if you are someone in a hurry, this may not be the best allergy test for you.
Just as the name suggests, this is a simple procedure that involves your doctor pricking the outermost layer of your skin and administering various allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, pollen, food, and fungi into your skin. It is important to note that doctors only administer standardized, industrial-grade allergens that are safe and won’t adversely affect you.
Your doctor will apply a small amount of allergen beneath your skin’s outermost layer using a miniature lancet that is minimally invasive. Other names used to describe this type of allergy test include the puncture test or the skin scratch.
Because this test involves the use of unique microneedles that don’t penetrate your skin’s surface, it is not painful in any way. As explained earlier, your doctor will only insert a small number of allergens into your skin using very small lancets. The area tested is usually marked before being administered with a few drops of allergens. If anything, patients usually experience mild discomforts that last a few seconds or minutes.
Generally, this type of allergy testing is not only safe, but simple and fairly easy to conduct as well. as such, it usually won’t lead to any life-threatening side effects. What’s more, it is usually carried out in a safe environment where the doctor is there to offers close supervision.
However, some patients also experience some sort of itching or redness, specifically on the rea where the test is conducted. Incidences of patients experiencing a severe allergic reaction to skin prick tests are usually rare. This type of allergy test is not suited for:
- Patients suffering from an extreme inflammatory condition that impacts a large area of their skin such as eczema.
- Patients currently using antihistamine medications and are not in a position to quit before having a skin prick test.
- Any individual having a history of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) toward particular allergens.
Skin prick test is somewhat more affordable and also you can have your results on the same day.
It is worth noting that there is always a slight possibility that you may experience a severe reaction toward one of the allergens administered into your body during the test. Also, patients may be needed to stop using the drugs that they may be taking currently.
While the testing techniques discussed above are the most commonly used, there is also a third test known as a skin patch. It can be used to detect contact allergies caused by particles in a patient’s drugs, topical creams, cosmetics, and even fragrances. Of course, when you visit your doctor, they will discuss with you in detail all you need to know about the skin patch test.
Of course, this varies from one person to the other, depending on an individual’s exposure to new allergens and perhaps the onset of new allergy symptoms.
Clinical research has shown that there are certain drugs (cetirizine, antihistamines such as loratadine, and piriton) that tend to impact the results of the skin prick test. This now implies that before you go for the skin prick test, you’ll be required to tell your allergist all the medication you are currently taking.
Of course, you will need to talk to your insurance provider to verify whether it covers your test or not.
The best way to protect yourself against allergies is to know and avoid all the potential allergens that might be responsible for your symptoms. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to avoid coming into contact with allergens! So the best thing you can do is to visit your local doctor to learn how to manage your symptoms - be it through corticosteroids, antihistamines, decongestions or allergen immunotherapy, a lasting type of treatment that is employed to alleviate different types of allergy symptoms.
Allergen immunotherapy is a relatively effective and safer type of allergy treatment technique that targets a specific allergen and subsequently modifies the immune system of the patient to adapt and somehow desensitize the patient’s body against the detected allergen.
