Asthma affects more than 25 million Americans. Suffering from asthma can make it difficult to engage in strenuous activity and limit your breathing. Those who suffer from asthma might not feel the effects of asthma symptoms all the time.
Certain things can trigger the onset of an asthma attack, with allergies being one of the main instigators. Discovering what allergens may be triggering your asthma can be a great way to manage your symptoms. An allergy skin test can quickly identify problematic allergens.
Test Preparation
An allergy skin test can be administered by your doctor during any routine appointment. There is no hospital recovery time or invasive procedure required to identify potential allergens using a skin test. You will need to talk to your doctor to discover what you need to do to prepare for the test properly.
At the very least, you will need to stop using antihistamine medications for a period before the test so that these medications don't interfere with your body's natural reaction to the allergens administered. Your doctor will be able to provide additional instructions that will help you prepare for your allergy skin test.
Test Administration
There are a few ways that your doctor can administer an allergy skin test. Most medical professionals opt to start with a skin prick test. This is the least invasive way to determine if a particular allergen is causing a response within your body.
A tiny drop of common allergens is placed on your skin in a grid-like pattern during a skin prick test. A very small needle is then used to break the skin beneath each droplet, allowing the allergen to enter your body.
Redness or itchiness will occur at the site of the allergen if your body has a negative response. Exposure to these allergens could exacerbate your asthma symptoms, so you will need to avoid these substances in the future.
Potential Risks
It's important that you talk to your doctor about any concerns you have before undergoing an allergy skin test. Some people can have such a severe reaction to an allergen that their airway swells shut. An immediate injection is required to reverse this swelling and prevent death.
Your doctor will need to be prepared by having lifesaving medications within reach as you undergo an allergy skin test. If you do have a severe reaction, you will be able to receive immediate treatment.
Knowing what allergens may be causing your asthma symptoms to worsen can help you better manage your asthma in the future.