Indications for an allergy test to a child

Cases when a baby has an unreasonable rash, runny nose, lacrimation, diarrhea, cough, always disturb parents and are forced to look for the causes of such symptoms. In the article, we will consider when allergy tests are prescribed to a child.

At present, allergic reactions, in particular in childhood, are far from uncommon. This is mainly due to poor environmental conditions, negatively affecting the immune system. To identify provocative factors, laboratory and test studies can be used that significantly help with allergy therapy.

Allergy tests for a child

When a child develops hay fever in order to determine the allergen, skin tests are prescribed.

The study is carried out by applying a solution in which the allergen is located on slightly damaged skin, after which an assessment of the developing reaction to contact with a provoking agent is evaluated. The main indications for conducting such a test may be such deviations as:

1. Allergic dermatitis.
2. Bronchial asthma.
3. Bronchospasm.
4. Conjunctivitis.
5. Pollinosis.

In addition to these conditions, samples are indicated in the presence of food allergies, after the occurrence of anaphylactic shock or angioedema.

Allergy tests for anesthetics are also often prescribed to children .

They are advisable if the child has the following symptoms, not justified by other causes of development:

1. Skin and other reactions that develop after a bite of an animal or insect, the use of drugs, the use of household chemicals.
2. Diarrhea, soreness in the stomach.
3. Swelling of the skin.
4. Burning, itchy eyes.
5. Severe lacrimation, inflammation of the tissues that form the organs of vision.
6. Nasal congestion.
7. The occurrence of a rash.
8. Seasonal, chronic rhinitis.

Skin tests for allergic responses can be performed only after a month after the development of the primary symptoms of allergies. This is due to the fact that earlier research may give unreliable results. In addition, skin tests during an exacerbation of allergies are prohibited.

Skin tests should be carried out only by an allergist and exclusively in an office specially equipped for this. Compliance with this rule allows us to guarantee not only a reliable result, but also minimizes the likely risks of complications that require immediate medical attention.

Types of substance provocateurs

Agent provocateurs used to conduct skin allergy tests on a child are conditionally classified into several types:

1. Direct. In this case, the allergen used is in its purest form.
2. Indirect. In this case, the blood serum of a person who suffers from an allergic reaction is used.

All allergenic substances by the methods of their application are divided into types:

1. Cold and thermal (thermal).
2. Intradermal.
3. Drip.
4. Application.
5. Scarification (prik-tests).

What allergy tests do children, it is important to find out in advance.

Child preparation

Before the procedure, doctors, as a rule, recommend observing such simple and not requiring specific actions rules:

1. The use of antihistamines should be discontinued.
2. Exclude increased physical as well as psycho-emotional activity.
3. It is recommended to abandon the use of new products in food (especially if skin tests are prescribed to identify a food provoking factor).
4. Children should be mentally prepared for skin allergy tests - to explain that the pain he feels will be insignificant, you should not be afraid of it.

As a rule, such studies are well tolerated by children who are more than 5 years old, since it is much easier for a child of this age to prepare for less painful injections and scarification of the skin.

Are there any age restrictions?

At what age can this study be carried out? In general, blood can be taken for analysis from birth.

Thus, specific immunoglobulin IG E. can be detected. Its presence indicates an allergic reaction. A blood test is performed both during exacerbation and in remission.

Skin tests are taken in children from 3-5 years old and only outside the acute manifestations of allergies.

Age restrictions may be lifted when:

• prolonged runny nose (while there are no other signs of a cold);
• persistent sore throat;
• itching and rashes on the skin, which themselves do not pass;
• difficulty breathing
• the disappearance of symptoms against the background of the use of antihistamines.

Is it always possible to do allergy tests for a child?

Contraindications

Before the appointment of the procedure, the allergist must find out if the child has any of the following contraindications:

1. The presence of oncological processes.
2. The presence in the history of information about cases of convulsive seizures.
3. The presence of an allergic reaction with a complicated course.
4. The presence in the body of acute or chronic pathologies in a state of exacerbation.

If there is a need (for example, there are doubts about the exacerbation of chronic pathologies), the doctor may prescribe additional diagnostic tests or send for consultations to relevant specialists.

How do allergy tests for children?

Execution order

Drip allergotest. It is one of the varieties of skin test, the implementation of which is absolutely non-invasive, since in the process a drop of a solution of histamine with an allergen is applied to the skin. The place of the drip allergotest is the area of ​​the shoulder blades or forearms.

The main indications for the appointment of a drip skin test are:

1. Reactions to poultry, animals.
2. Household, pollen allergens.

Application Allergotest

This type of skin test is performed using pieces of gauze or cotton pads, which are small in size and pre-impregnated with an allergen solution. They are applied to the skin and fixed with a band-aid or a cellophane film.

Such an action allows a provoking substance to penetrate into the body with greater activity. Thus, the results can be obtained much faster, and they will be more reliable.

Scarification tests (prik-tests)

This type of allergy test for a child is performed after mild irritation of the skin. To do this, use scarifier needles. Drops of an allergenic solution are applied to the damage. If the procedure is performed for children under 12 years old, then only 1-2 provocative substances can be used in one test. After 12 years, about 15 irritating substances can be used in one procedure.

The described test allows you to identify an agent that provokes an allergy. Scarification tests are considered to be more reliable than application and drop tests. In addition, the reliability of the sample is increased by a prik test, in which the skin is not scratched with a scarifier, but pierced.

Intradermal allergotest

This type of skin test is performed by subcutaneous injection of an allergenic solution using a thin needle. A similar test is shown in order to detect sensitivity to certain microorganisms (fungi, bacteria). Modern doctors perform the following tests in a similar manner:

1. Pirke.
2. Casoni.
3. Mantoux.

Thermal allergy tests. These tests can be thermal or cold. Perform them using:

1. Test tubes filled with ice or hot (42 degrees) water.
2. Pieces of ice.

Evaluation of the result of an allergy test is made upon the appearance of a blister on the skin. In such cases, a skin test is considered positive to the influence of the applied thermal factor.

Evaluation Rules

An allergist should be evaluated solely by an allergist with sufficient experience in the use of such diagnostic methods. Allergotest results may be as follows:

1. Doubtful.
2. Weakly positive.
3. Positive.
4. Negative.

The result is assigned a positive character if redness or swelling occurs on the skin.

Negative reactions after allergotest

In some cases, a small patient during a skin test may develop a variety of severity reactions:

1. Itching, rashes throughout the body.
2. Severe irritation in the area of ​​allergy testing.
3. Squeezing sensation in sternum when breathing.
4. Differences in blood pressure, manifested by fainting and dizziness.
5. Discomfort in the intestines, stomach.

The indicated symptoms, as a rule, develop within a few hours after the test and are able to persist throughout the day. Severe side effects can cause severe complications, in some cases leading to death. In this regard, the allergist before the tests notifies parents of possible negative reactions and recommends staying in the hospital for several hours or days.

It is possible to make allergy tests for a child in almost any municipal medical institution where such a narrow specialist as an allergist is receiving. In addition, almost all multidisciplinary private clinics provide their services. Where to pass allergy tests to a child, you can check with your doctor.