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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staff
Your doctor will ask detailed questions about your personal and family medical history, your signs and symptoms, and your usual way of treating them. Your doctor will also perform a physical examination to look for additional clues about the causes of your signs and symptoms. He or she may also recommend one or both of the following tests:
- Skin prick test. During skin testing, small amounts of material that can trigger allergies are pricked into the skin of your arm or upper back and you're observed for signs of an allergic reaction. If you're allergic, you develop a raised bump (hive) at the test location on your skin. Allergy specialists usually are best equipped to perform allergy skin tests.
- Allergy blood test. A blood test (sometimes called the radioallergosorbent, or RAST, test) can measure your immune system's response to a specific allergen. The test measures the amount of allergy-causing antibodies in your bloodstream, known as immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. A blood sample is sent to a medical laboratory, where it can be tested for evidence of sensitivity to possible allergens.
- Weber RW. Allergic rhinitis. Primary Care Clinics in Office Practice. 2008;35:1.
- Eapen RJ, et al. Allergic rhinitis — History and presentation. Otolaryngology Clinics of North America. 2008;41:325.
- deShazo RD, et al. Patient information: Allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Practice parameters for managing allergic rhinitis. American Family Physician. http://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/0701/p79.html. Accessed Feb. 25, 2010.
- deShazo RD, et al. Pharmacotherapy of allergic rhinitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Rabago D, et al. Saline nasal irrigation for upper respiratory conditions. American Family Physician. 2009;80:1117.
- Tips to remember: Indoor allergens. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/indoorallergens.stm. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Tips to remember: Outdoor allergens. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/outdoorallergens.stm. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Herbs and other dietary supplements. In: Bauer B. Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: Time Inc.; 2010:173.
- Man L. Complementary and alternative medicine for allergic rhinitis. Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery. 2009;17:226.
- Naegleria FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/faqs.html. Accessed Dec. 30, 2011.
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