subject: Allergy Symptoms Can Now Be Diagnosed With A Simple Blood Examination [print this page] Do you think you've got allergic reactions? Do you've dark circles under your eyes, itchy rashes, or feel like you've a cold? When you do, you are not alone. Far more than 9 million Canadians suffer from some form of allergy.
Allergic reactions can mimic cold and flu symptoms so it's simple for folks to mistake one condition for the other. To determine if you have allergy symptoms your health practitioner will often use skin tests or a new blood test called UniCAP" allergy examination.
What is the Difference Between a Skin Check and the New Blood Test?
For a pores and skin examination, the doctor uses a needle to prick the pores and skin through a drop of a solution of each suspected allergen. If a raised welt (weal or hive) appears occurs then this indicates sensitivity to that allergen.
Having said that, the pores and skin examination is not appropriate if you've got an allergic skin illness and is not as effective in infants and in older people. The outcomes might also be impacted by medication.
In contrast, the UniCAP" allergy blood test is easy. It requires about little sample of blood (about one teaspoon)! The examination is performed in the laboratory by a medical technologist. The check can identify allergic reactions to more than 500 various allergens and is not affected by medications.
"The new blood test provides Canadians an easy and less painful alternative to identifying allergic symptoms, " says Dr. Brian Sheridan, Vice President of Medical Affairs for MDS Laboratory Services. "MDS technologists are specifically trained to perform thousands of various sorts of laboratory tests including the serum examination for allergy symptoms. This test is 90% accurate and seems to be particularly useful in identifying food allergens."
In case you feel you may possibly have allergy symptoms, talk to your doctor. For much more information visit www.mdscollaborate.com.