How to Test Allergies in Children

Testing allergies in children is just like testing allergies in adults. The same types of allergy tests used in adults are effective in children as well. The complicating factor in testing children for allergies is determining whether or not you should have it done. Not all children will benefit from allergy tests, so they should only be done when necessary.

Things You'll Need

• Allergist/immunologist

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Instructions

• 1

  Evaluate the severity of your child's symptoms to determine if allergy testing is necessary. Minor seasonal allergies that can be controlled with antihistamines do not require allergy tests.

• 2

  Try to diagnose your child's allergies through elimination. If you suspect the cause of your child's allergies, eliminate your child's exposure to that substance for a couple of weeks, and then reintroduce that substance and monitor your child's reaction to determine if it is indeed causing an allergy.

• 3

  See an allergy specialist, or allergist/immunologist, if you suspect your child is suffering from moderate to severe allergies.

• 4

  Get a skin allergy test for your child. Skin tests are done with the prick or scratch technique, and a small amount of the allergen is introduced to the skin. If the skin reacts with a hive, then the child has sensitivity to that allergen.

• 5

  Get blood allergy tests to identify moderate to severe food allergies. Because food allergies have the potential to cause dangerous reactions, it's safer to use a blood test to diagnose them.

• 6

  Discuss the results of your child's allergy tests with the allergist/immunologist. Your doctor will use your child's symptoms and test results to make a diagnosis.

• 7

  Get your child retested later in life for allergies, as children can often outgrow allergies, or gain "tolerance" to certain allergens.