All You Need to Know About Skin Prick Test

A large number of people, in London, suffer from various allergy attacks almost round the year. A gold standard test is very common for these patients. Doctors prescribe this test to ascertain, whether one is prone to an allergic reaction resulting from an agent. But before discussing this special pathological test, let’s get some idea about what allergens are.

An allergen is a substance or an agent that causes or brings out an allergic reaction in your body. A skin prick test is performed by injecting  a tiny amount of an allergen under your skin layer. If you’re allergic to it, a bump with reddish ring will come up, hardly within the next 15 to 20 minutes. It is likely to feel very itchy as a result of the reaction.

Histamine is a biochemical that your antibodies release at the time an allergic reaction is about to occur. As a result of it, the following things happen in a chain sequence:

• The blood vesels get widened and turn more porous

• As a result, fluid goes out from the blood vessels

• This leads to swelling and redness

• Gradually, your body keeps producing more and mucus, which leads to teary eyes, running nose and other symptoms

• The rash, hives and itching result from the stimulation at your nerve endings

Lab assistants, who perform allergy testing for children, point out that in severe cases, there may be a drastic drop in the blood pressure resulting from the widened blood vessels inside the body. Moreover, a patient may also undergo narrowing of the bronchial tubes and swelling of the air passage.

Procedures involved in the pathology test: Technically, this type of tests is also called IgE skin tests. Before prescribing you the clinical procedure, it is important for a doctor to know your health history in depth. He’ll also study your symptoms and enquire about the conditions that trigger them. Usually, the test is performed either on your upper back or the arm.

The procedure is generally carried out by a nurse and the doctor only reviews the result. Medical Express Clinic, located at Harley Street, is a renowned center for skin prick test in London. The center follows the step-wise procedure mentioned below:

• The skin surface chosen for the test will be cleansed by rubbing a cotton ball dipped in alcohol.

• A number of marks will be made on that cleansed area to keep track of the various allergens that will be pushed into your body.

• Tiny drop of each allergen will be placed on the selected areas.

• Finally, a needle will be lightly pricked on the skin under each drop of allergen.

The procedure is never painful and the results come up pretty fast. This test is ideal for all ages and is helpful in ways more than one.