Allergy Testing and Immunotherapy
What is the patient being tested for, and how does it work?
The patient is being tested for 58 allergens and 2 controls, controls are used to make sure there are no antihistamines in the body to block the test. 60 scratches are done in total: cat, dog, guinea pig, hamster, horses, feathers, 2 types of dust mites, several different trees, several weeds, molds, fungus and about 10 different grass pollens.
It is called a scratch test, and is either done on the back or the arms depending on age of the child—usually 6 years of age and above will have it done on their arms. After testers are placed on child, child will need to sit still for 15 minutes. It may become itchy, but they cannot scratch area of testing.
There are no needles involved to do testing—it’s like a hard bristle brush.
Appointments are about 40 to 45 minutes but sometimes take an hour depending on the child and parents’ questions.
How old does the child have to be to be tested/receive immunotherapy?
Child must be 2 years or older for testing and Immunotherapy.
What is the process? (How many visits/shots total, what span of time)
Treatment lasts one year.
2 small injections every other day for the first 8 months, then 2 times a week for the last 4 months totaling 280 injections in 12 months.
We teach parents to do home based injections for the immunotherapy, but we do offer the service of in-house injections on Mon, Wed, and Fri if needed. Appointments are as follows: 1 testing appointment, 6 follow-up appointments (1 every 2 months) and after 1 year a retesting appointment.
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