When is Blood Testing for Allergies Necessary?

You’ve probably seen the stories on the news – more and more schools are banning peanut products for fear of triggering allergic reactions in the students. Food allergies are more common today than they ever were. As a parent, you may be planning on taking your child to get skin or blood tested for food allergies as soon as possible, but that might not be wise – yet. When it comes to testing for allergies, there is an appropriate time to do it.

Confirming Your Suspicions

If you have suspicions that your child may be experiencing a food allergy, think carefully about what your child has been eating, and identify common allergens like wheat, nuts, eggs, dairy, and soybeans.

If your child is experiencing hives or itching, tingling in the mouth, digestive problems, or swelling – particularly in the lips, mouth, or face, this could be a sign that they are experiencing a food allergy. If that is the case, you definitely want to bring them to our Asthma, Allergy, & Sinus Center for a blood test for allergies in Hunterdon County, NJ. This will allow us to test for specific allergies and confirm what you already expect.

The Problem with Early Allergy Testing

When you get a general allergy test, whether through skin testing or blood testing, you can end up with a lot of false positives. These allergy tests are non-specific, so you may test positive for foods you are not actually allergic to.

The problem with this is that you could wind up severely limiting your child without needing to. This could even lead to nutritional deficiencies, depending on what they test positive for. Very serious, life-threatening allergies are not quite as common as modern parents are led to believe.

If you do think that you child is exhibiting the symptoms of an allergic reaction, contact our allergy specialists today to make an appointment.