It is always pivotal to consult a healthcare provider whenever you notice any changes on your skin which may likely be caused by an allergy or a change of environment. Early treatment helps in preventing the symptoms from spreading all over the body, it also helps in finding a lasting solution to the symptoms.
In this article today, we’ll discover another medical diagnosis (Skin Prick Test) for immediate type 1 allergens. You may kindly check out some of my previous blogs on Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD) and Patch Testings (diagnosis of ACD) if you missed it.
What is a Skin Prick Test?
A Skin Prick Test is utilized to diagnose immediate type 1 allergies to all types of allergens found in foods, insect venom, dust, plants and natural rubber latex.
Medical procedures
(drops of deluded allergen)source
Skin Prick Test is easy to perform, very sensitive and provides quick results. Small drops of water each containing a deluded allergen chosen based on your clinical history are placed on the volar forearm of the patient. All prick tests require the use of a positive and negative control to minimize the risk of false negatives and false positives.
An aqueous drop containing histamine is used for the positive control and a drop of saline for the negative control. If more than one allergen containing solution is being tested, the sites are separated by approximately four to six centimeters.
(Lancet used for skin pricking)source
A Lancet is used to gently prick through the drop and penetrate the skin. Uniformed skin penetration is possible with the use of an appropriate Lancet with a single point and an edge or shoulder that allows penetration through the stratum corneum and into the lower layers of the epidermis but prevents going deeper into the dermis.
A fresh Lancet must be used for each prick made, the test is read after 15 minutes and the appearance of a wheel and flare reaction is compared with both the positive and negative controls. The histamine response must be at least 3 millimeters and a positive test to the select antigen should have half or more of the diameter of that of the histamine control.
If the patient has dermographism, their tendency to react to mechanical manipulation of the skin will cause a reaction even with the negative saline control. Results depend on the amount of antigen which binds to IGE antibodies created following a previous exposure to the antigen which causes the release of inflammatory molecules in the skin.
Possible reactions that may be caused by a Skin Prick Test
(Anaphylactic reaction)source
An anaphylactic reaction is a rare but possible complication caused by a skin prick test it is advisable to be prepared to safely treat such a reaction ultimately. The safety and efficacy of a skin prick testis dependent on the quality and quantity of antigen exposed to the antibodies in the skin.
Testing should only be performed with properly controlled reagents and by skilled personnel who perform this procedure on a regular basis, which maintains procedure consistency and safety. I hope you find this information helpful.
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