Allergy Testing for Kids

The common occurrence of allergies is, in itself, a reason to consider allergy testing if your child has allergy symptoms that occur often, or you are searching for the cause of a suspected allergy. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, in Pediatrics in Review, "It has been estimated that 4% to 6% of children have food allergies, 8% to 10% have asthma, and 15% to 25% have allergic rhinitis." 

Allergy testing is safe for children of any age, including babies and toddlers, according to the AAP. Toddler allergy testing is done much the same way as children are tested for allergies. Allergy testing can be done by a physician who is experienced in allergy testing. There are a few different methods used for allergy testing.

Before undergoing allergy testing, parents can do a few things to try for themselves to figure out the source of the child's allergy symptoms. If the symptoms are mild, such as running nose, slight rash, or diarrhea, note the time, date, and circumstance that the symptom began.

What was eaten, was the child inside or outside, what season is it, what was the child doing shortly before the reaction started?

Food allergies typically begin within minutes of eating the culprit food. In contrast, pet dander can remain for weeks after the pet is gone, or be encountered by your child on the clothes of a stranger. Look for trends in the triggers of the allergies. If doing so fails to produce clear results, and allergy medications such as Claritin are not helping, you may wish to try allergy testing.

Allergy testing using the most common "prick skin test" involves placing a drop of an allergen on the surface of the skin and giving the skin with the drop a little scratch. Then, the skin is observed for a reaction. Several different allergens can be tested at once in different locations, and the reactions typically are seen within 15 minutes. In some cases, intradermal skin testing is done, where a small amount of an allergen is injected just under the surface of the skin. This method is less commonly used with children, although it may produce more accurate results.

A blood test for allergies is called the RAST (radioallergosorbent test). It measures the amount of antibodies in the blood in the presence of certain things that cause allergies. It is considered accurate, although takes weeks to produce results. Also, because the blood may show antibodies to many things, it takes a skilled physician to accurately interpret the results. In some cases, a person may have antibodies to certain substances, and never have allergy symptoms. For kids, the prick skin test is the easiest and most accurate.