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This page/column contains information which may be of interest to consumers. The information is based on articles which appear in Australian Prescriber. As Australian Prescriber is written for health professionals, you should discuss any issues raised by this page/column with your doctor or pharmacist. They will be able to give a more detailed answer to your questions by reading the main article.

Australian Prescriber is unable to comment on individual cases or give second opinions.

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Australian Prescriber Vol. 25 No. 4 2002

Allergy tests

There are two main ways to check if a person is allergic to a common substance such as house dust mite. Both tests look for the antibodies which cause allergic reactions. Blood tests are sometimes useful, but a skin prick test is usually more helpful.

A tiny amount of the substance is placed on the person's skin. The skin is then pricked. If the person is allergic to that substance redness or a wheal may appear where the skin was pricked. Sometimes this test can cause a severe reaction, so it should only be done in a clinic with resuscitation equipment.

These tests are not useful for finding out if someone's symptoms are caused by allergies. They can confirm if someone with hay fever is allergic to pollen, but they cannot say if someone who feels tired all the time has an allergy.