>Hi -
>
>I need to second Kathy's comment about the skin prick test vs. the blood
>test for allergies. My daughter, Alyssa, had a skin prick test for foods
>when she was 9 months old. It was much much less traumatic than the blood
>draws that she had (for other reasons). And, at least in her case, it was
>very accurate. Even to the level that the severity of her reaction matched
>the relative size of the wheals.
>
Depending on whether the allergist is operating in the dark ages and using
"the hook," the prick test can be much more traumatic.
The (sadistic) old-fashioned allergist will put a drop of the allergen on
the skin and use a device that resembles a sharp crochet hook to dig the
allergen into the skin. It's barbaric, and what Josh had to suffer through
when he was a toddler. Needless to say, he was horrified, screamed, and
didn't trust that allergist for quite a while.
The modern allergist will use a plastic device called a "multi-tester",
which has a couple of columns of 8 small cupped droplet holders, each
holder having nearly microscopic tiny fins sticking up from it. Each item
being tested (plus the control and the histamine) is dropped into one of
the cups, the multitester is placed on the skin and pushed on gentle. The
little fins produce very tiny (almost imperceptible) cuts in the skin and
the item being tested gets into these tiny cuts. I hesitate to call them
paper cuts, even though that's what they are, because they don't feel
anything like that.
For items that don't test positive but are strongly suspected, and dilute
subcutaneous injection may be required as a followup.
>We've not done a RAST test, and probably won't, unless further allergies are
>suspected for some reason. The skill of the practioner may be a big factor in
>how it goes. The skin prick test was done at a pediatric allergist's
>office with a very skilled nurse. 3 seconds is about right...
>
Mark Feblowitz GTE Laboratories Incorporated
[log in to unmask] 40 Sylvan Road, Waltham, MA 02154-1120
|
