Introduction

Allergy Test

The “prick” test on both forearms is a standard pain-free method to determine if the body’s cells have reacted allergically. The test is proven very reliable for those aged five and over, in order to prove or rule out an allergy. Before this age, a conclusion can only be drawn if a positive reaction occurs. In the case of a negative prick test below the age of five, an allergy cannot be safely ruled out. Less often on the skin intracutaneous tests, rubbing and scratch tests, and also epicutan tests are used. The latter is used exclusively for eczema diagnostics.  

The determination of the antibodies in the blood allows us to draw a conclusion as to the degree of activity of an allergy. For those below five years of age, the blood determination draws a reliable conclusion. The most accurate statements about the presence or absence of allergy can be made when skin and blood tests are combined and compared to a precise symptom analysis. In addition we collect a precise patient history and conduct an allergen questionnaire. Provocation testing can eliminate the last ambiguity and provides a safe basis for specific immunotherapy. In the end, allergy diagnostics are not as easy as you might think and therefore belong in the hands of a specialist.