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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What can I expect when I have a skin prick test?

    Related Topic
    Allergy
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  • 2

    Thanks

    Prof Ron Walls

    Pathologist (Immunologist)

    A skin prick test looks for your reaction to a specific allergen. A tiny amount of an extract is introduced into the skin and it is very useful for identifying these allergens, but it must be interpreted carefully because a positive test does not necessarily mean that that allergen is
    responsible for the symptoms.

    Also you have to determine how important that allergen is. For example, people who are highly allergic may have many positive skin tests, in other words, they react to many different allergens. Perhaps only one or two of those may be responsible for their concerns.

    Skin tests are also useful for telling your doctor whether you are or are not an allergic subject.

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  • 1

    Thanks

    Prof Ron Walls

    Pathologist (Immunologist)

    A skin prick test looks for your reaction to a specific allergen. A tiny amount of an extract is introduced into the skin and it is very useful for identifying these allergens, but it must be interpreted carefully because a positive test does not necessarily mean that that allergen is responsible for the symptoms. Also you have to determine how important that allergen is. For
    example, people who are highly allergic may have many positive skin tests, in other words, they react to many different allergens. But perhaps only one or two of those may be responsible for their concerns. Skin tests are also useful for telling your doctor whether you are or are not an allergic subject.

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