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Allergy testing - Risks

Alternative Names

Patch tests - allergy; Scratch tests - allergy; Skin tests - allergy; RAST test

What the risks are:

Risks related to skin and food allergy tests may include:

Special considerations:

The accuracy of allergy testing varies quite a bit. A person may react to a substance during testing, but never react during normal exposure. Rarely, a person may also have a negative allergy test and still be allergic to the substance.

  • Reviewed last on: 6/25/2011
  • David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Stuart I. Henochowicz, MD, FACP, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Georgetown University Medical School.

References

Bernstein IL, Li JT, Bernstein DI, Hamilton R, et al. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology; American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Allergy diagnostic testing: an updated practice parameter. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2008 Mar;100(3 Suppl 3):S1-148.

Demoly P, Bousquet J, Romano A. In vivo methods for the study of allergy. In: Adkinson NF Jr, ed. Middleton’s Allergy: Principles and Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 71.

Gober MD, DeCapite TJ, Gaspari AA. Contact dermatitis. In: Adkinson NF Jr, ed. Middleton’s Allergy: Principles and Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 63.

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